After years of planning, debate, and fundraising, construction on a new Traverse City Senior Center is set to begin in September – with city commissioners voting tonight (Monday) on awarding the construction contracts and applying for a $1.95 million state grant to cover the final funding gap for the project.

The Senior Center rebuild on East Front Street (pictured, rendering) will expand the facility from 5,780 square feet to over 18,114 square feet, including exterior spaces. The building will be “oriented to the north to open park space and views of the public beach from Front Street, and will include exterior covered spaces to maximize the outdoor opportunities and the views along the shores of West Grand Traverse Bay,” according to a city website for the project. Planned amenities include a covered drop-off area, covered patio, green roofs, geothermal and partial snowmelt, improved access to the beach, restroom access for the beach, new tennis/pickleball courts, improved shuffleboard courts, and a commercial kitchen.

“With the new Senior Center, there is an increased capacity for indoor and outdoor programming,” according to the project website. “The larger room sizes enable programming classes to be larger and offered more frequently.” The reconstruction will allow for increased access of hot lunches provided by Meals on Wheels, multipurpose rooms for new expanded wellness programs and exercise, and meeting spaces for skills learning, education, and social gatherings, according to the website. The facility is owned by the city but operated by the county under the Grand Traverse County Senior Network.

The total estimated project cost – including $411,224 in architectural and engineering services – is $10,035,499. Commissioners tonight will vote on awarding a $6,853,590 construction contract to Hallmark Construction and a $1,895,685 contract to Elmer’s Crane and Dozer for sitework. Four firms bid on the construction contract, with Hallmark Construction coming in with the lowest bid. City staff noted they interviewed the firm and its subcontractors “to ensure all are well qualified and will work together as a team to deliver this very important community project.”

The project budget also includes a $350,000 construction contingency, $260,000 for furnishings, $175,000 for kitchen equipment, and $90,000 for environmental costs, which could potentially qualify for brownfield reimbursement. The city has raised $8,095,113.11 total for the project to date, including a $700,000 state grant, $500,000 in city ARPA funding, $250,000 from the county, and $345,113.11 in city fund balance and donations. That leaves a funding gap of $1,940,385.89.

“It is important to note that the city can cash flow the project using a combination of funds available in the capital projects fund and an additional contribution from the general fund for the 2024/25 fiscal year,” City Engineer Tim Lodge wrote in a memo. “However, fundraising and grant acquisition activities should continue.” Staff are preparing to apply for a $1.95 million MI Community Center grant by August 31, with commissioners asked tonight to approve a resolution of support for the application. The grant awards are expected to be announced in October, according to Lodge.

Assuming contracts are approved tonight, pre-construction activities could start yet this month, with construction anticipated to begin in September, according to the project website. The new Senior Center is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.

Also at tonight’s commission meeting...
> Commissioners will vote on approving the final design for the improvement and extension of the bayfront TART trail in downtown Traverse City. The final trail plan – designed by Progressive AE – calls for expanding the segments of the existing trail width to 16 feet, with 10 feet dedicated to bi-directional bicycle use and six feet dedicated to pedestrian use. The plan also envisions future trail connections east of the Senior Center along East Front Street and Peninsula Drive and expanding a trail connection on the south side of Grandview Parkway from Hall Street to Division Street. The total project is estimated at $3,491,383, though work is anticipated to occur in phases – starting with the stretch between Murchie Bridge and the Senior Center next year at the same time as Grandview Parkway reconstruction. The final plan has already gone to the TC Downtown Development Authority, city planning commission, and parks and recreation commission for approval.

> Commissioners will consider authorizing the city attorney to begin a land conveyance process with the state that could ultimately lift deed restrictions on a piece of city-owned property at 850 Woodmere Avenue. Commissioners recently discussed the possibility of using the site to develop housing. However, when the city acquired the property from the state in the 1940s, the deed restricted the use of the property to park or highway purposes. That restriction can be lifted, but involves a complex process that typically takes several months in which the city would quitclaim deed the property back to the state and the state would then deed it back to the city with amended or no restrictions. The commission vote tonight would kick off that process.

> Commissioners will hear a presentation from Deputy County Administrator Chris Forsyth and Sarah Bannon of Lakeview Consultants on a newly formed Opioid Epidemic Task Force. The committee – comprised of county staff and local representatives from the healthcare, recovery, law enforcement, and drug treatment communities – will determine how best to spend $4.5 million in opioid lawsuit settlement funds coming to Grand Traverse County. The task force has also discussed reaching out to surrounding municipalities on a collaborative regional approach to utilizing settlement funds. The task force next meets on Wednesday at noon at the Governmental Center.

Photo credit: Environment Architects