The redevelopment of the former Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) administration building on Webster Street could solve a key puzzle for Grand Traverse County: where to relocate MSU Extension. County commissioners Wednesday will consider approving a letter of intent for MSU Extension – which must vacate its current headquarters on West Front Street by the end of 2026 – to lease part of the new development across from the Governmental Center. Commissioners Wednesday will also consider approving a plan for spending marijuana revenues and address several board and staffing positions.

MSU Extension
A recent lease negotiation process for buildings shared by Grand Traverse County and the City of Traverse City is shaking up locations for some local services. In addition to the Governmental Center, the county and city share space at 520 West Front Street, home to MSU Extension (and previously the Commission on Aging) and 851 Woodmere Avenue, the Sergeant Dennis W. Finch Law Enforcement Center occupied by the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office and Traverse City Police Department.

After the city notified the county of plans to expand the Traverse City Fire Department into its building next door on West Front Street, the Commission on Aging relocated to the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan building on Park Drive. However, the county must still find a home for MSU Extension, which has been on West Front since 2000 and now needs to vacate by the end of 2026. As part of the new lease agreement, the city will start paying rent for its portion of the Law Enforcement Center once the county has completed vacated the West Front building.

According to a presentation from MSU Extension Regional Director Jennifer Berkey, the department has several needs for a new location. It must be low cost or “as close to cost-neutral as possible for Grand Traverse County” and provide teaching space for programs and workshops, plus staff offices and parking/accessibility for customers, she wrote.

MSU Extension and county officials explored numerous possible locations, from private offices (some of which topped $100,000 in annual rent) to renovating the lower level of the Governmental Center – a project estimated to cost $900,000. “Other options were discarded for various reasons: high costs, limited customer/employee parking, or the space wouldn’t work,” Berkey wrote. But one option “rose to the top” during the search: the former TCAPS administration building on Webster Street.

Developers Ken Richmond and Eric Gerstner purchased the building from TCAPS with the goal of saving the building and converting it into a mixed-use development. Their redevelopment plans, now underway, call for building market-rate condominiums on the top floor and worforce housing on the lower level. The middle floor is intended to be commercial space, including new offices for the Ford Insurance Agency – operating under Undaunted Courage LLC for the project. “Ford Insurance Agency does not need all the space on the middle floor and would like to lease a portion of it to the county for the benefit of MSU Extension,” according to County Deputy Administrator Chris Forsyth.

The proposed rent amount is $4,500 per month under a three-year lease, with options to renew and a three percent annual increase. With taxes and association fees – which will cover costs like trash, snow removal, cleaning, and more – the annual cost for MSU Extension to be at its new location is estimated at $78,650. Berkey highlighted the property’s close proximity to the Governmental Center as another benefit of the site. Commissioners will vote Wednesday to approve a letter of intent to lease the space, with the agreement providing just under 2,350 square feet in the building for MSU Extension starting in early 2026.

Marijuana Spending Plan
After reviewing the proposal at a study session last week, commissioners Wednesday will consider approving a plan for spending millions in anticipated marijuana revenue funds in the coming years.

The county – which had sixteen microbusinesses or retail establishments operating in 2024, including 13 in the City of Traverse City, two in Green Lake Township, and one in Fife Lake Township – received $886,000 in revenues last year and is slated to receive $931,658 this year. The spending plan recommends dividing marijuana revenues between internal county needs and external community needs, with the latter awarded to eligible institutions – like nonprofit and schools – in amounts ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 through an annual application process.

A workgroup will review the applications along with county staff and present their recommendations to commissioners for approval. For internal county purposes, funds will go toward advancing the county’s strategic plan. In 2025, for instance, $431,658 is recommended to be spent on county facilities renovations, remodeling, or new construction projects. The remaining $500,000 would be disbursed to the community through the competitive application and award process.

Board/Staff Positions
County commissioners will address several board and staff positions Wednesday. The county needs to appoint an ad hoc committee to fill several board vacancies, most notably a vacancy on the BATA board that was controversially held by former Commissioner Brad Jewett, who recently resigned the post. Openings must also be filled on the Economic Development Corporation, Building Codes Board of Appeals, and Hospital Finance Authority boards. Addiitonal terms will be expiring soon on the Department of Health and Human Services board and the Board of Canvassers, which will require further appointments.

Commissioners Wednesday will consider approving a resolution to reduce the Board of Public Works from 11 to 9 members – eliminating two at-large positions – and to reallocate a full-time employee from I.T. to Construction Code. That employee will provide dedicated support for the Enterprise Permitting and Licensing system, a key department application. “While it has been in use for five years, the platform’s growth and adoption have been limited due to the absence of a dedicated full-time resource to support its daily operations and continuous improvement,” the recommendation states.