GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY: $12 million Kingsley facility in store for road commission

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

Aug. 3—TRAVERSE CITY — Plans for a new $12 million plow truck, equipment and salt storage facility in Kingsley are in the works by the Grand Traverse Road Commission.

Approval of a notice of intent for the county to issue municipal bonds for $12 million was given Wednesday by the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners.

The new Kingsley facility will more than double in size and include buildings to store 6,000 tons of road salt and up to 15 plow trucks, four pickup trucks and/or other heavy equipment. It also will have offices, a vehicle-wash station, a fuel island and a small shop for emergency tasks, such as brake repairs.

By comparison, the 74-year-old facility being replaced can store 1,000 tons of salt and six plows — more if they're crammed in other older buildings, said road commission Manager Brad Kluczynski.

The current facility was built in 1950 and, with its crumbling masonry walls, has reached the end of its life, Kluczynski said.

The new building would have a lifespan of about 75 years, he estimated.

The 15-acre site, located behind the Paradise Township Hall, has already been purchased for about $30,000, he said. The current facility is on 5 acres.

"We are trying to be as aggressive and as forward-thinking as we can with all the things we need to do," said Joe Underwood, chair of the road commission board.

The notice was approved in a vote of 7 to 1, with commission Vice Chair Brad Jewett voting "no." Commissioner T.J. Andrews was absent.

Jewett asked if, over the next 75 years, the road commission would more than double the number of trucks needed. The commission now has 32 active plow trucks and nine spares.

"I don't see any new roads being built there," Jewett said.

Kluczynski said there are no new roads being built, but several will eventually need to increase from two lanes to four or five lanes to handle traffic. State roads also will widen and the road commission has contracts with the Michigan Department of Transportation to maintain those, he said.

When Jewett asked for specifics, Kluczynski said the commission is just starting the process of identifying those corridors, but they could include parts of Long Lake, Garfield, Silver Lake Road and Chums Corner.

"I have no problem building for the future or replacing a building that's falling apart," Jewett said. "But you've not given me any answers as to why you need to build a building two and 1/2 times the size."

The bonds will be paid back over 20 years at an interest rate of 4 to 5 percent using road commission funds.

County finance Director Dean Bott said the bonds are backed by the county and have been reviewed by the county's bond counsel and financial adviser.

An Airport Road project that was financed by bonds about six years ago was paid off this year, giving the commission more funds to pay for the Kingsley facility, Bott said.

By law, county voters have the right to petition for a referendum on the bonds, which must be done within 45 days of the published notice. If a petition is filed, bonds would not be issued without going to a vote.