'Hundreds of questions': County digs into $172M facilities plan
Feb. 8—TRAVERSE CITY — A detailed proposal to invest $172 million in new facilities ran into significant opposition at Wednesday's session of the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners.
Ultimately, board members agreed to accept the document — called a "facilities master plan" — without committing to any aspect of it.
Necessity, money and legality topped their list of concerns.
"The big three-letter question is 'Why?' " board Chairman Rob Hentschel asked. "If we spend $200-300 million, will the public get better service, or will they receive the exact same services as now?"
Rapid growth in the county is a key reason why new and renovated facilities are needed, the report states, noting that the county's population grew almost 24 percent between the year 2000 and 2022, a trend that continues. In contrast, the population of Michigan grew less than 1 percent during the same period.
Ryan Archer, a senior design architect and planner at TowerPinkster, presented a summary of the final plan Wednesday morning. The Grand Rapids-based firm was paid $98,750 to develop the report.
More than a year in the making, the 498-page plan details major investments at three main "campus" locations — downtown Traverse City, called the "Boardman campus," LaFranier Road and Woodmere Avenue — over the next 10 years.
The estimated price tag for the facilities master plan ranges from a low of $172 million to a high of $214 million for county projects, plus another $40 to $52 million for city projects. Exactly how the plan would be financed is an open question, said Vice Chairman Brad Jewett, who represents District 4.
"I haven't seen anything about how we could pay for this," Jewett said. "This is all premature."
In response, Deputy County Administrator Chris Forsyth said bond issues could potentially pay for some or all of the projects, although those would have to go through an approval process first.
Commissioner T.J. Andrews, who represents District 7, said the plan — if fully implemented — would require moving the county seat away from Traverse City.
The Michigan constitution requires certain county officials to have their "principal office" in the county seat, she said. These include the county's sheriff, clerk, treasurer and register of deeds. (The LaFranier campus in the plan is located in Garfield Township, not Traverse City.)
If those principal offices are moved to LaFranier Road, then the county seat would have to be moved, according to a July 17, 2023, legal opinion from Cohl, Stoker & Toskey, the Lansing-based law firm that provides civil counsel to the county.
Simply keeping a small office in the downtown governmental center would not suffice, Andrews said. Under Michigan law MCL 46.17, moving the county seat requires a two-thirds majority vote by the county commission and a majority vote of the public in Grand Traverse County.
Other board members withheld judgment on the plan until a series of study sessions can be held, starting Feb. 28.
"We all have hundreds of questions," said Commissioner Darryl Nelson. "We need lots more time for discussion before we authorize anything."
This master plan builds on previous county studies conducted in 1997, 2008 and 2015. It documents every major aspect of the county's facilities, from energy efficiency and floor plans to visitor pathways and commuting times.
TowerPinkster partnered with commercial builder Owens-Ames-Kimball to complete the document.
To gather input, TowerPinkster interviewed 42 county and city department heads and conducted an online survey to hear from community members. A steering committee of stakeholders met monthly to help guide the process.
All told, the plan recommends 25 individual projects, ranging from large "strategic" facilities and renovations to more modest improvements and upgrades.
The plan would consolidate most county services on LaFranier Road to simplify citizen access to services and improve efficiency. It calls for several new buildings at that site, including a new three-story county services building, a new county jail next to a new sheriff's office, a new central dispatch facility, new workshops and a new central storage facility. A new juvenile justice center is included in the plan.
Area mental health care advocates have been calling for a new jail and juvenile detention center for more than a decade, citing the current jail's deteriorating condition and high percentage of mentally ill inmates.
"Our current jail is woefully inadequate," said Tom Bousamra, an ordained Catholic deacon who serves on the board of Before, During and After Incarceration, a nonprofit organization. "We urge the county board to approve a new law enforcement center..."
"Most jails today are de facto mental health hospitals," he added, "but without the resources they need to handle that challenge. We need a new jail that supports in-person visits, as well as a wing for emotionally troubled inmates instead of isolation."
Part of the facilities master plan would affect Traverse City services, primarily at the Woodmere Avenue campus. For example, the current city Department of Public Services building and old annex building would be redeveloped into a new facility, with the possible addition of a new police station at the north end of the site. City fire stations 1 and 2 would also be redeveloped.
A major renovation of the governmental center at 400 Boardman Avenue is also in the plan, which would benefit both the county and city.
In addition, the plan calls for relocating the prosecuting attorney's office to the third floor from its current location at 324 Court Street. That old office, as well as the old work release building and county jail, would be demolished to improve efficiency and parking capacity.
Changes to the Civic Center could include relocating the county facilities department and storage to the LaFranier Campus to allow for expanded public services at the park.
County commissioners will meet again to discuss the facilities master plan on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The time and location is yet to be announced.
