Township Hall Approval

Cascade Township, Michigan, Dec. 17, 2019 – During its Wednesday meeting, the Cascade Township Board gave approval to move forward with the purchase of the vacant office building at 5920 Tahoe Drive SE for a new consolidated Township office
 
The purchase approval comes after completion of a seven-week due-diligence period that allowed Township officials and architectural and engineering partners to perform a thorough review and collect feedback from employees and residents. Township officials considered three potential locations in the Township during the period, including a new building on the current Township office site, an addition to the Wisner Center and the building at 5920 Tahoe Drive SE.
 
Formerly occupied by ADAC Automotive, the facility features 12,930 square feet of space on 1.23 acres in Centennial Park – enough space to allow all Township departments to be under the same roof. Cascade’s offer of $1.4 million – below the asking price of $1.495 million – was accepted. The transaction is expected to close on Dec. 20.
 
The decision comes as the Cascade Fire Department and Township board work to complete a study of potential new spaces to expand or relocate fire services. This study is an outgrowth of the 2018-19 Facilities and Services Study, which identified repairs and safety upgrades to the Township’s fire stations as the top priority of residents.
 
One of the top locations identified in March for the Fire Department expansion is the current location of Fire Station 1, which shares space with Township offices at 2865 Thornhills Ave. SE. As the study progresses, the current site of the fire station remains an attractive expansion option based on location and funds saved by eliminating new property acquisition costs.
 
“After a very thorough review, the Township Board has determined the 5920 Tahoe Drive space is the most financially and operationally efficient solution to address the Township Hall needs,” said Township Manager Ben Swayze. “Relocating the offices to the Tahoe Drive site allows all administrative functions to be in one building, saving significant funds and increasing efficiency, while avoiding property acquisition costs. It would also allow Fire Station 1 to be rebuilt on its current site should that be the recommended solution from the study.
 
“We would like to thank the residents for their feedback and participation in the Facilities and Services Study so far. We listened carefully to their feedback before recommending this course. We look forward to completing the Fire Study and presenting potential options to the public.”
 
The Township’s building department currently leases a space on Charlevoix Drive. By combining all the departments under one roof, the Township will save approximately $70,000 a year that would have been spent on rent and utility costs.
 
As part of the due-diligence period, the Township and its partners performed a number of studies, including title commitment and survey as well as physical and environmental inspections. The physical and environmental inspections, conducted by Fishbeck, categorized the condition of the building as good to very good and determined there does not appear to be any current or historically recognized environmental conditions.
 
The Township’s architectural firm Progressive AE determined that renovations to 5920 Tahoe Drive SE will cost approximately $550,000 in addition to the $1.4 purchase price, whereas rebuilding at the current site or building an addition to the Wisner center would cost between $4.3 and $5.4 million.
 
To collect feedback and answer residents’ questions about the potential purchase, the Township conducted a public engagement meeting in December where Township officials and Progressive AE shared details, findings and suggested next steps for the Township offices. The presentation is available online here.
 
The building renovations are expected to begin in early 2020 and be completed in six months with a move-in date goal of July or August 2020. More info on the Facilities and Services Study can be found at https://cascadetwp.com/Community/What-s-Happening/Township-Space-Needs-Facilities-Assessment.aspx
 
 
About Cascade Township
Home to more than 19,000 residents, Cascade Township is committed to serving the public by providing the finest community services possible with respect, efficiency and integrity. With the Thornapple River at its heart, Cascade Township is recognized as an excellent place to live, work, play and raise a family. For more information, visit http://www.cascadetwp.com/.