Project Alpha, Facilities, Septic Ordinance on County Agenda

Grand Traverse County commissioners will soon start making key decisions about Project Alpha, the planned expansion of the county’s LaFranier Road campus. Commissioners will see schematic designs and project budgets for the project today (Wednesday) at a study session that will also include a wider-ranging discussion on county buildings overall – with options like a new jail on the horizon. The meeting will also include a public hearing on the county’s proposed new septic ordinance.

Project Alpha
Jerry Tomczak from Cunningham-Limp – project manager for the county’s LaFranier campus expansion – will give commissioners a detailed update today that includes design and cost options for two new buildings: a 37,500-square-foot centralized county storage facility and a 13,200-square-foot combined emergency operations and 911/Central Dispatch center.

This is the first time commissioners are seeing updated costs for Project Alpha, which originally had a staff estimate of $11 to $16 million. Deputy County Administrator Chris Forsyth notes that range “was a placeholder number based on a limited set of assumptions and a lot of unknowns.” The latest estimates from Cunningham-Limp, which reflect work up through preliminary schematic design, now put the project range at $27-$30 million, including $12.4-$13.7 million for the storage facility and $14.6-$16.1 million for the emergency center (pictured, rendering). Those costs would be further refined in design and engineering; factors like tariffs, inflation, and interest rates could also cause costs to fluctuate.

Commissioners will consider several options that could either increase or decrease costs, Forsyth says, such as a flat roof design, geothermal systems, solar panels, and a well backup with fire pump and water storage for the emergency center. The two new buildings would be located behind the Health Department on LaFranier. The storage facility would provide a new home for facilities management with garage, carpentry, equipment storage, and mechanic and car wash areas. A portion of the county’s Commission on Aging department is also proposed to be located in the building. The county’s Department of Public Works was once considered to be included in the building but is no longer part of the plan.

Because commissioners are in study session today, they won’t vote on any project decisions. But Forsyth says staff will be seeking feedback on the budget and building plans, including some of the design alternatives, to start determining how to move forward. Commissioners could be asked to authorize design development in May, with the project potentially to be bid out this fall. Construction could start in 2026, with the buildings ready for occupancy by early 2027. Commissioners will have to determine how best to fund the project if they decide to proceed, with sources likely to include a combination of bonding and the county’s 911 surcharge, according to Forsyth.

Facilities Discussion
Project Alpha is the first major project to emerge from a recently completed facilities master plan, which was created by consulting firm TowerPinkster for Grand Traverse County and the City of Traverse City and includes a detailed assessment of all their buildings plus recommendations on how to consolidate services to two main campuses at LaFranier and the Governmental Center, with some additional services at the Law Enforcement Center on Woodmere Avenue.

County commissioners have struggled to get their arms around the nearly 500-page report, which several have felt is unwieldy and difficult to digest. Accordingly, staff today are presenting a one-page overview and a condensed 51-page version of the report limited to county facilities, with all city facilities and projects removed. The condensed report includes assessments of the county jail, the Governmental Center, and the Historic Courthouse. Forsyth noted in a memo that those assessments are highlighted because of the commission’s interest in pursuing a new jail. If that project is “a top priority, then the mechanical infrastructure for the Governmental Center and Historic Courthouse will need to be addressed,” Forsyth wrote. “Specifically, the boiler at the existing jail provides heat for the other two buildings.”

County and city commissioners are scheduled to have a joint meeting on May 14 in which TowerPinkster will provide “both governing bodies a detailed review of the facilities assessment of the Governmental Center and discuss potential options or strategies to address the various problems with the building,” according Forsyth. If county commissioners are interested in pursuing more large-scale facilities projects – whether with a new jail, Governmental Center renovations, or otherwise – more detailed deep-dives into finances are likely to follow, especially on bonding. Cherry Capital Airport is separately asking the county to pledge its full faith and credit to a planned $112.8 million airport expansion project. Forsyth tells The Ticker that “the good news is we have a pretty large bonding capacity” because of the county’s relatively low debt and high taxable value, but says the county will continue to review that capacity with commissioners and financial and legal advisors as projects are considered.

Public Hearing
Finally, commissioners will hold a public hearing today on the county’s proposed new septic ordinance. The new rules would require septic system inspections whenever properties within 300 feet of surface water (measured from the closest part of the dwelling to the surface water) are sold or transferred in Grand Traverse County. That is expected to affect between 200 and 400 properties annually, according to county estimates. Private inspectors are expected to complete those inspections, though the Grand Traverse County Health Department is budgeting just under $180,000 for equipment and a full-time employee to review the inspection reports, run the regulation program, and assist the public with navigating the new rules.

County leaders see the new ordinance as the first step toward better regulating local septic systems, with the program to potentially expand in the future as staffing capacity allows. Following today’s public hearing, the Health Department will review feedback from both the hearing and other submitted public comments and potentially adjust the regulations if needed. If substantial edits are made, a second public hearing is required. Otherwise commissioners could vote at their May 21 to adopt the ordinance, which is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026.