Area seniors should have an easier time accessing services after Grand Traverse County commissioners Wednesday unanimously approved a lease agreement that will see the Commission on Aging leave Front Street this summer and move into the Area Agency on Aging facility on Park Drive – putting two major senior organizations together on one site. County commissioners Wednesday also rejected a settlement offer in a lawsuit over the ownership of Twin Lakes Park after discussing the offer in closed session.

Commission on Aging
The Commission on Aging (COA) – which provides programs to maintain and improve the quality of life for residents over 60 to keep them living in their homes – is moving to a new home this summer.

County commissioners unanimously approved a three-year lease agreement for COA to leave its home at 520 West Front Street and move into the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan (AAANM) property at 1609 Park Drive. COA Director Lana Payne said she’s been working for three years to find another location for the organization, which has run out of space on Front Street. Payne said that in “order to grow programs and to add any additional staff,” COA needs a new home. The City of Traverse City, which owns the West Front Street building, has also notified the county of its intent to expand the Traverse City Fire Department into the building in 2025. That has put a ticking clock on county tenants, including COA and Michigan State University Extension, to relocate.

Payne said AAANM has two buildings on its property that are essentially empty, as many of that agency’s employees are now working remotely. The two organizations “work with many of the same clients,” Payne said, providing an opportunity to have a centralized “hub for seniors” on the property. The location is also more centrally located within Grand Traverse County – instead of being at the county’s far northern edge downtown – and is easier to access for drivers, Payne said. “Traffic especially this time of year is basically treacherous on Front Street,” she said.

The agreement calls for COA to pay $70,313 annually for the lease, plus estimated utilities/maintenance costs of $9,000 annually. The COA millage will cover the lease costs. The three-year lease would run from this month through the end of May in 2027, with options provided in the lease terms for one-year extensions. The AAANM executive board approved the agreement on May 2. The county’s IT, finance, administration, and facilities departments all support the COA move, with IT and facilities next set to help with painting offices and preparing the tech setup for the relocation. Payne said it could take one or two months to complete preparations and move COA’s 11 office employees to the new location.

Commissioner Ashlea Walter, who sits on boards for both COA and AAANM, said she was excited about the partnership, adding it offers “more possibilities and less confusion for our seniors as we collaborate even more together in the future.” She called the move a “great interim step” ahead of a potential future search for a permanent home.

Twin Lakes Settlement
County commissioners rejected a settlement offer along 6-3 partisan lines Wednesday in a lawsuit over the ownership of Twin Lakes Park. Two Long Lake Township landowners – James Gallagher, trustee of the James K. & Patsy A. Gallagher Trust, and Chazz McCall, trustee of the Charles William McCall Trust – abut the park and are suing over Grand Traverse County’s transfer of Twin Lakes to Long Lake Township in September.

The plaintiffs argue that the very origins of Twin Lakes Park make the transfer of the property illegal. “A dedication for a specific purpose, i.e. a County Park, may not be changed by the legislature, a municipality or its successors, nor the general public, whether the use be public or private and even though the changed use may be advantageous to the public,” the complaint states. The plaintiffs are seeking “a judgment declaring that the publicly dedicated lands are restricted to ownership by Grand Traverse County for use and improvement as a County Park.”

Attorney Brace Kern, representing Gallagher and McCall, emailed township and county officials on May 3 with a settlement offer. The email said that “in exchange for dismissing the lawsuit, including all other claims that could be brought...the County and Township must agree to rescind/void the transfer of Twin Lakes.” The outcome must be that “the deed transferring Twin Lakes is voided and the County will return to owning, using, and maintaining Twin Lakes as a County Park,” Kern wrote.

Kern warned that “this will be the only time that this offer will come at no cost. If you refuse this settlement offer, all future offers to settle will require the payment of damages in addition to the above requirement.” Long Lake Township officials rejected the settlement offer at their May 14 meeting. County commissioners discussed the offer in closed session for more than an hour Wednesday before coming back into public session and voting 6-3 to reject the offer, with all three Democratic commissioners – Walter, Lauren Flynn, and TJ Andrews – opposed to the motion.

Commissioners did not discuss the offer in more detail publicly nor did they share their reasons for their votes. Kern declined to comment on potential next steps for his clients.