BENZIE-LEELANAU: Health Department eyes empty space in government center

Patti Brandt Burgess, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·4 min read

Sep. 3—SUTTONS BAY — Leelanau County board members need another month or so to decide whether to build out and lease unused space in the lower level of the government center to the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department.

Bids have already been sought for the project, which would house only the environmental health division of the health department.

At a special meeting Tuesday, board members are expected to vote on the low bid of $356,275 submitted by Richter Construction of Traverse City, a construction agreement with the company, and a lease agreement in which the health department pays no rent for the first 10 years.

The health department would pay half the cost of the project, up to $179,500.

Some board members and county residents questioned the high cost, why the health department needs the space, and what will be done when the growing Leelanau County needs the space.

County Administrator Deborah Allen is expected to get answers and bring the information to a board meeting later this month or next.

"We'll all know so much more in two weeks," Allen said.

Environmental health Director Eric Johnston said the design of the space will be very generic with a meeting room, two offices and cubicles that could be used by anyone in the future. The department oversees well and septic permits, campgrounds and pools.

The division is currently located in what was the Connie Binsfeld Resource Center in Lake Leelanau. Personal health, including vaccinations and care for women, infants and children will remain in that building, Johnston said.

Commissioner Gwenne Allgaier said it makes sense to have well and septic in the same building as construction, soil and erosion permits.

"We're really servicing our people when we make a very important service more convenient for them," Allgaier said.

Kari O'Non, of Centerville Township, said the county has not done its due diligence on this project. It was brought up a couple of years ago and has not been talked about since then. She's also concerned about county spending.

"It's time for you elected officials to rein in that spending, please," O'Non said during public comment. "That burden to pay every project that you guys bring forward rests on our shoulders."

Allgaier said the project has been talked about for the last two years and information regarding those discussions is in meeting minutes.

"We have this gorgeous room downstairs, beautiful windows, big spacious space," Allgaier said, and in it are shredders, trash cans and a few exercise machines. "I would be delighted to see this fabulous space developed and used productively."

Commissioner Melinda Lautner disagreed, saying the project has not been discussed in any depth in the last two years.

"It has only been this last month that we really started digging into this," Lautner said. "It may be correct that the health department has pursued this further, but we have not."

The conservation district rents a portion of the center's lower level and the health department would take the last usable space, she said. She also objects to the health department not paying rent for 10 years, saying it was not a decision made by the county board.

Commissioner Kama Ross said she doesn't understand why this is being looked at so differently than when the conservation district moved in.

"This building is our building and these are our services we are providing our residents," Ross said. "I just think we can work out these details to make this lease agreement work for everybody."

The Binsfeld building was built in 1998 by the health department to house the health department and a school. The school left and, for the next eight years, the building became an albatross around the health department's neck, causing money issues, Johnston said.

The building was purchased in 2018 by the Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy and the health department became the school's renters, Johnston said. After about three years, the school needed more space so the health department squeezed into about 40 percent of the building.

Johnston said the idea to relocate environmental health to the government center came from former Commissioner William Bunek about two years ago.

"It was a more cost-effective way for us to continue our operations without having to build another new building that, as you can imagine, would cost significantly more than for us to do a renovation in this building," Johnston said, adding that the health department is a county organization and wants to be a good partner.

At that time, a bid was sought that was excessively higher than $500,000. The design was revamped and another bid came in that was significantly lower, he said.

A new building may be looked at some time in the future, but is not a sensible move for taxpayers right now, he said.

Lautner said the health department should look at consolidating into one building. "This is not a long-term solution for the health department."

Laura Tarsa, of Solon Township, said it sounds like the leadership of the health department created a crisis that is being dumped on the county. "Their failure is making it sound like we have to help them," Tarsa said. "Their crisis is not our responsibility."