Since 1854 — News from Montcalm County and Ionia County, Michigan
By Elisabeth Waldon | on May 19, 2022
Ionia County commissioners are planning an estimated $2.5 million worth of upgrades to the Sheriff’s Office/Jail after a $37,500 engineering study is completed to assess the condition of the jail, which was built in the early 1990s, as well as the sheriff’s office. The upgrades will be funded with the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. — Submitted photo
IONIA — An estimated $2.5 million worth of upgrades to the Sheriff’s Office/Jail, $1 million worth of new equipment for the Road Department, a $1 million courthouse facade project, a $600,000 upgrade to communication towers to support the use of 800 megahertz radios by county fire departments …
These are just a few of the $11 million worth of planned projects to be funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars as approved by the Ionia County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. The vote was 6-0 with Commissioner Scott Wirtz absent.
Ionia County received $12.56 million in ARPA money, and those funds must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2026, according to Ionia County Interim Administrator Jason Eppler. Calling the 38 planned projects “an illustrious list,” Eppler noted they will take several years to complete.
Commissioners approved the list of planned projects with the understanding that there will be many more future decisions down the road, including commissioners deciding which bids to accept for each project.
“It’s a wish list,” Commissioner Jack Shattuck summarized. “Some things might need to change, but it gives us something to go from.”
Ionia County Interim Administrator Jason Eppler on Tuesday detailed 38 planned projects at an estimated cost of $11 million to be funded using the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money. — DN Photo | Elisabeth Waldon
The most costly of the projects is an estimated $2.5 million worth of upgrades to the Sheriff’s Office/Jail after a $37,500 engineering study is completed to assess the condition of the jail, which was built in the early 1990s, as well as the sheriff’s office. Commissioner Larry Tiejema noted that a voter-approved millage will likely be needed one day to keep the jail in good condition.
The Road Department stands to receive more than $1 million worth of new equipment, including two tandem dump trucks for $300,000 each and one Gradall all-wheel-drive hydraulic excavator for $435,000.
A facade project to disassemble and reconstruct the south porch of the county courthouse has an estimated price tag of $1 million.
A planned project to upgrade communication towers to support the use of 800 megahertz radios countywide comes with a $600,000 price tag. The Crystal Township fire chief is making a similar request to the neighboring Montcalm County Board of Commissioners, asking them to use ARPA money to upgrade all fire department radios in that county to 800 megahertz radios.
Two other major ARPA-funded items for Ionia County have already been paid out — $1,383,900 to county employees for comprehensive wage changes in 2021 (which was implemented Jan. 1) and $814,000 in COVID bonus pay to county employees based on exposure (which was implemented in April).
FRIEND OF THE COURT BUILDING
One ARPA-funded item, the demolition of the county’s former Friend of the Court building and then the construction of a parking lot at an estimated cost of $125,000, generated some discussion among commissioners.
The building at 108 W. Washington St. has been vacant since offices relocated across the street to the new addition at the Ionia County Courthouse in the summer of 2018.
The demolition of Ionia County’s former Friend of the Court building and then the construction of a parking lot to allow additional parking in Ionia at an estimated cost of $125,000 is among 38 planned projects to be funded with the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. — DN file photo
Ionia Community Library Board members have long felt that the old building is taking up needed parking spaces. In July 2019, the library board approved a strongly-worded resolution stating, “whereas the commission (Ionia County Board of Commissioners) reneged on its obligation to raze the (building) and the library’s sacrifice of property was disregarded,” and “the board formally requests the commission to provide a detailed written explanation as to the cause of the delay in the razing.”
According to the resolution, library officials were approached by county officials in 2016 regarding a street configuration needed to build a District Court addition onto the courthouse. The library board agreed to cede the equivalent of 4,500 square feet to the county to accommodate a new ramp for the courthouse. The library board was under the impression the Friend of the Court building would be razed and the existing parking lot adjacent to the building would be expanded to manage the additional traffic congestion that District Court would bring to the area. According to the resolution, the already poor parking situation further deteriorated when the courthouse addition opened in the summer of 2018, and library staff regularly receive complaints about the parking situation.
County commissioners in September 2020 tabled accepting bids for demolition of the Friend of the Court building after facing COVID-19 pandemic-related budget cuts. At that time, a low demo bid of $37,650 had been submitted by Pitsch Companies in Grand Rapids, while other submitted bids were submitted from CL Trucking & Excavating in Ionia for $67,000 and Built Right Custom Homes in Ionia for $85,000.
“Has cost always been the reason that the building hasn’t come down?” Commissioner Ally Cook asked during Tuesday’s meeting.
“Yes, with the cost of the addition of the courthouse, the budget ran over and that took away from the demolition work,” Eppler responded.
“It’s long overdue,” Shattuck noted. “We made promises to the city and the library. We need to get this finalized, in my opinion.”
“It’s looking pretty rough,” Chairman David Hodges agreed.
Here’s a look at the rest of the planned ARPA-funded projects for Ionia County:
The Ionia County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 on Tuesday to approve a list of 38 planned projects at an estimated cost of $11 million to be funded using the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money. Pictured from left, commissioners Jack Shattuck, Larry Tiejema, David Hodges, Karen Banks, Georgia Sharp and Ally Cook. — DN Photo | Elisabeth Waldon
• replace network switches for county computer network: $500,000
• Central Dispatch call center upgrades: $450,000 — including wiring, electrical and lighting systems, workstation furniture, wall and floor coverings and installation of an additional dispatch workstation to be used for training
• Commission on Aging facility improvements: $319,144
• generator upgrades or replacements: $235,000 — including at the Airport Terminal, Animal Shelter, Sheriff’s Office/Jail and administration building
• Bertha Brock Park drive resurfacing, bridge repair work and general improvements: $200,000
• furnace/HVAC replacements: $200,000 — including at the courthouse on the third floor, Road Department), Commission on Aging, Central Dispatch, Animal Shelter and Health Department
• parking lot maintenance: $162,500 — including airport terminal, Animal Shelter, Central Dispatch, Health Department, former MSU Extension building, Sheriff’s Office/Jail and Road Department
• Register of Deeds digitization of records: $160,391
Ionia County commissioners are planning an estimated $2.5 million worth of upgrades to the Sheriff’s Office/Jail after a $37,500 engineering study is completed to assess the condition of the jail, which was built in the early 1990s, as well as the sheriff’s office. The upgrades will be funded with the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. — Submitted photo
• Ionia County Administration Building (old District Courthouse) improvements: $150,000 — including exterior power washing, brick/stone tuckpointing, interior painting, flooring, tile repair, restroom fixture replacements as needed
• LED lighting: $150,000 to interior and exterior of administration building, airport, Animal Shelter, Central Dispatch, Commission on Aging, courthouse, Health Department, former MSU Extension building, Sheriff’s Office/Jail and Road Department
• heavy-duty shelving for paper file storage at various locations: $125,000
• replace entry and overhead doors: $120,000, including at airport and Road Department
• local match for tower grant to upgrade towers utilized for fire radio communications: $100,000
• Commission on Aging roof replacement: $99,759
• replace floor covering: $80,000 at the Health Department and in the Board of Commissioners room
• Probate Court digitization of records: $69,024
• interior building signage: $62,500 — for courthouse, administration building and Health Department
• Health Department inspection software for Environmental Health Division: $55,000
• Fingerprint machines: $50,000 — the purchasing of four fingerprint machines to be placed at the four state correctional facilities in Ionia for fingerprinting inmates who commit crimes in the prison system and are adjudicated in Ionia County courts
• touchless faucets and toilet flush valves: $50,000 — including at administration building, airport, Animal Shelter, Central Dispatch, courthouse, Health Department, former MSU Extension building, Sheriff’s Office/Jail and Road Department
• Digitizing microfilm records in Clerk’s Office: $32,689
• Health Department community health assessment/study: $27,500
• Health Department key car entry: $20,000 — to install a key card access system at the building, similar to the system at the courthouse/administration building
• Health Department conference room furniture: $15,000
• replacement of concrete steps at the administration building, sidewalk replacement at Central Dispatch and installation of new connector sidewalk along north side of the courthouse: $15,000
• Animal Shelter fencing project to create outdoor kennel area for dogs: $12,000
• replace water softeners in the administration building and Commission on Aging: $11,000
• FOIA software: $9,500 — purchase and implementation of a software system to assist the county with filling Freedom of Information Act requests, to be utilized by county administration, Central Dispatch and the Sheriff’s Office
The Ionia County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday also:
• Approved a resolution of appreciation for Lacey Bull who is stepping down as environmental health supervisor for the Ionia County Health Department. She was Ionia County’s first female sanitarian after she was initially hired.
• Approved upgrading the county jail’s control locking system software at a cost of $19,158 to Johnson Controls Fire Protection in Grand Rapids, which will likely paid for with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
• Approved furnishing and hauling limestone to place on various county roads at a cost of from $29.25 to $31 per ton from Yellow Rose Transport in Grandville. The county received two other bids from Verplank Trucking in Ferrysburg (ranging from $30.52 to $31.52 per ton) and Fisher Transportation in Mount Pleasant (ranging from $33.38 to $39.90 per ton).
• Approved a bid of $950 from Terry Madison Jr. of Orleans to remove 79 large trees for timber purposes from the county’s West Main Street property, as recommended by the Bertha Brock Park Advisory Board. The county only received the one bid for the project.
• Approved allowing Bertha Brock Park Manager Jeff Montgomery and his wife Barb to move into a vacant park manager’s residence at the park and to live there rent-free, as recommended by the Bertha Brock Park Advisory Board.
• Heard from Commissioner David Hodges of Belding that the Ionia County Literacy Council, which was created in 1987, is disbanding. “It’s based on COVID. It literally put them out of business,” Hodges said.
• Heard from Commissioner Ally Cook of Ionia inviting everyone to attend the Memorial Day parade, which starts at 10 a.m. on May 30 at the Ionia Armory and ends at the Ionia County Courthouse lawn.
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