County Commissioners Approve New MSU-E Home, Near Project Alpha Design

County properties continue to be a key focus for Grand Traverse County commissioners as the board Wednesday approved a lease for a new home for MSU Extension and refined design decisions for Project Alpha, the planned expansion of the county’s LaFranier Road campus. Commissioners also heard an update from County Director of Parks and Facilities John Chase on Camp Greilick, which he said could open in two weeks to hiking and disc golf.

Commissioners unanimously approved a three-year lease agreement for MSU Extension – a partner organization with Grand Traverse County – to move into the former TCAPS administration building on Webster Street across from the Governmental Center. The Traverse City Fire Department plans to expand into the city-owned building on West Front Street where MSU-E is currently located, requiring the organization to move out by the end of 2026. MSU Extension Regional Director Jennifer Berkey told county commissioners that staff undertook a “very intensive process” to explore numerous possible locations for a new home, from private offices to the basement of the Governmental Center.

For reasons ranging from cost to space constraints, most of those options weren’t feasible, according to Berkey. But the redevelopment of the TCAPS building into a mixed-use project with residences and office space offered an opportunity for MSU-E to share commercial space with Ford Insurance Agency on the middle floor. Under the lease terms approved by commissioners Wednesday with Ford – operating under Undaunted Courage LLC for the project – the county’s rent will be $4,500 per month, with options to renew and a three percent annual increase. With taxes and association fees added, the agreement is expected to total $248,625 over three years.

Berkey said Wednesday the arrangement offers “the lowest cost option that provides us with the space that we need as an office team,” adding that Ford will be “good roommates” for MSU-E. Though MSU-E has the flexibility to remain on West Front Street through next December, Berkey indicated the organization could move sooner in 2026 provided the Webster Street development stays on track for completion.

Commission Vice Chair TJ Andrews said MSU’s relocation illustrates the need for the county to complete its assessment of county buildings and where various departments should go in the long term, saying it would be ideal for MSU-E to eventually be under the county’s own roof. The county and city are embarking on a joint venture to evaluate the future of their co-owned buildings, like the Governmental Center, as the county pursues a new jail and criminal justice complex. That process will look at county departments overall and provide recommendations for where they should go.

One destination for at least some departments could be the county’s LaFranier Road campus. A spring 2026 groundbreaking is targeted for a campus expansion called Project Alpha, adding a planned new combined emergency operations and 911/Central Dispatch center (pictured, rendering) along with a centralized storage facility for multiple county departments. After receiving an updated budget estimate in late October of $26.2 to $27.6 million, commissioners are starting to make final design decisions that will allow construction documents to be completed and the project to go out to bid.

Several of those decisions are related to green energy infrastructure and other items that would add to the project cost. Commissioners voted in a split decision Wednesday to eliminate green roofs from both new buildings, as several commissioners did not see a return on investment for their inclusion. Commissioners are also interested in installing solar panels on the roofs; green roofs would take up space that could be used by those arrays. Commissioners asked project manager Cunningham-Limp to bring back more information in a month on solar rebates and incentives, the likely energy output of the arrays, and power generation rates to make a final decision on adding solar. Adding solar systems to both buildings could cost $1 million to $1.3 million, though Cunningham-Limp said those costs could be recouped through energy savings over time.

Commissioners also asked Cunningham-Limp for options next month on potentially capturing and recycling stormwater or graywater on the property to use for irrigation. Such a system could be an alternate to installing a new well for irrigation, estimated to cost $25,000-$30,000. That cost could likely be repaid in a decade based on annual savings it’d provide for irrigation, according to Cunningham-Limp estimates. However, the well could not irrigate the entire LaFranier campus – only the Project Alpha expansion area.

Commissioners also heard an update Wednesday on DTE gas lines running through the property, which have posed challenges with the design since one of the lines can’t have static loads – like a planned parking lot – on top of it. A DTE representative said the company was exploring options to protect or improve that line and has committed to being a “significant” funding partner with the county to complete upgrades.

Finally, commissioners heard an update Wednesday on other county property: Camp Greilick, the newest county park. County Director of Parks and Facilities John Chase reviewed the park’s 2025-26 operations and management plan with commissioners, including a proposal discussed by East Bay Township officials Tuesday to locate North Sky Raptor Sanctuary at the park. Chase said the county plan focuses on three key areas for Camp Greilick: programming, park amenities, and facility use. The county has developed different standards for “common good” rentals at the park, or those open to the public or that would benefit the community, versus private rentals of spaces, Chase said. Private rentals have a 50-person cap, shorter booking windows, and higher rates. There are also restrictions in place on amplified music and alcohol use at the park, Chase said.

Describing a “significant amount of effort” that has gone into readying Camp Greilick for the public – including hundreds of volunteer hours on clean-up and trail clearing – Chase said the goal is to open the park for hiking and disc golfing in approximately two weeks.