Nearly $1.8 Million Awarded to Civic Center, East Bay Township Projects

Nearly $1.8 million has been awarded in state grant funding to two local projects, a windfall that will help fund significant community improvements in 2026. Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced Wednesday that $992,084 in Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) funds are going to Grand Traverse County for Civic Center improvements, while another $796,941 in RAP funds will go to East Bay Township for its Safe Routes to School project near East Bay Corners.

The two projects were among 27 applications selected – of 81 submitted – to receive $25 million in total funding across Michigan. The RAP grant program “supports community revitalization needs in Michigan communities by investing in projects that promote population and tax revenue growth,” according to the state. “The RAP program provides access to gap financing for place-based infrastructure development, real estate rehabilitation and development, and public space improvements.”

The $992,084 awarded to Grand Traverse County – the largest grant in northern Michigan – will help fund Civic Center improvements. County Administrator Nate Alger says the grant application was submitted in partnership with Norte, which resides at the Civic Center. Three major projects are expected to be tackled with the funding. The first is the renovation and expansion of the Civic Center’s south building to include accessible restroom facilities and dedicated storage space. Alger says the facility is “currently far insufficient for the amount of use it is receiving.”

According to the application, the redesigned building will include “two restrooms that incorporate elements of universal design such as wider doorways, comfortable vanity heights, smart controls, and lever handles. These renovations will mean that the bathroom amenities will better meet the needs of all community members so that more residents feel comfortable using the accommodation, ultimately giving more people the opportunity to take advantage of the various facilities housed on the Civic Center campus.” A new addition will provide dedicated space for equipment storage, while exterior building murals will create “an attractive focal point.” The facility will expand from 525 square feet to 3,000 square feet.

The second Civic Center project is the construction of a 12,000-square-foot Norte pump track. The circular loop of rollers and berms, which allows cyclists to ride continuously without pedaling, is planned for the north end of the park. The project is the first of three planned phases of a Norte Bicycle Education Center – or Norte HUB, as it will be called. Following the pump track, future phases (not covered by this RAP grant) will include a space for a Norte Bike Library/home base and an outdoor bicycle safety garden. “When combined, all three phases create an accessible, welcoming space that will foster community connections, welcome school groups, create joy, and encourage physical movement,” Norte said in a statement to The Ticker.

Remaining Civic Center RAP funds will pay for signage and landscaping improvements at the park. Those will include replacing “existing signage at the two main entrances to the Civic Center located on West Civic Center Drive and Titus Street,” the application states. “The existing signage is small and outdated and does not include the county’s updated logo or branding. This project proposes replacing the existing signs with updated monument signs...this will help improve the entranceways to the park by providing attractive, highly visible signage. Additionally, this project will include the installation of new landscaping around the south building and monument signage locations.”

Total costs for the Civic Center improvements are estimated at $1,984,169. Norte has secured $226,500 to serve as a local match, with the county reviewing additional potential sources of funding to close the remaining gap, according to the application. County Director of Parks and Facilities John Chase says work on some improvements could start this year – but since engineering work still needs to be completed, the bulk of construction will likely take place across 2026-27, he says. The Civic Center is already undergoing significant construction work this year with the replacement of the park’s walking track and pedestrian bridge, a project Chase estimates will be substantially complete by June 27 and fully complete by July 25.

The second local RAP award of $796,941 will help close the funding gap for East Bay Township’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and East Bay Corners Civic Plaza project. Since 2020, East Bay Township and three school systems – Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS), Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools (GTACS), and the Grand Traverse Academy (GTA) – along with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, TART Trails, and Norte have been working to improve public infrastructure and pedestrian safety around East Bay Corners at the Three Mile/Hammond intersection.

Improvements will include almost two miles of 10-foot-wide pathways along Three Mile and Hammond Roads where none currently exist, connecting Cherry Knoll Elementary School, East Middle School, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) Middle School, and Grand Traverse Academy to surrounding neighborhoods and commercial properties. High-visibility crosswalks with rapid-flashing beacons, additional lighting, and wayfinding will help provide “safe crossings at key intersections, addressing current safety gaps for students, families, and visitors and enhancing usability during early morning and evening hours,” according to township documents.

A Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) will be installed at the SEAS entrance, along with safe pedestrian crossings on all four corners at the Hammond/Three Mile intersection. The improvements will be implemented in 2026 in conjunction with the Grand Traverse County Road Commission’s planned upgrade of Hammond Road. A new township Civic Plaza – also paid for by the RAP grant – will provide a public gathering space thanks to property access granted by Truenorth. The plaza (pictured, sketch) will overlook a wetland area and include a bike pull-off area with seating, picnic tables, a bike repair station, a little free library, educational signage, edible gardens, and native plantings. The township also envisions future public art and programming at the site. The total estimated $2.6 million SRTS/Civic Plaza project is also being funded by a $1.5 million SRTS grant, a $50,000 Oleson Foundation grant, a possible pending Rotary grant, and a township match.

SRTS improvements will link to the future Three Mile Trail extension planned between South Airport and Hammond roads. Township Director of Planning & Zoning Claire Karner says a groundbreaking is planned this year on the first small segment of trail extension and a new trailhead and parking area across from the Woodcreek Subdivision. A new RRFB crossing will be installed across Three Mile Road to the parking lot and trailhead. Those improvements will be followed by the Hammond Road and SRTS improvements in 2026, then – assuming fundraising goes as planned – with additional Three Mile Trail extension work in 2027.