CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Cascade Township Board last Wednesday gave approval to move forward with the purchase of a vacant office building for a new consolidated township office.
The purchase comes after a seven-week due diligence period that allowed officials, architectural and engineering partners to perform a thorough review and collect feedback from employees and residents.
The site, located at 5920 Tahoe Dr. SE, was formerly occupied by ADAC Automotive. It features 12,930 square feet of space on 1.23 acres of land in Centennial Park. This allows enough space for all Township departments to be under the same roof.
Cascade's offer of $1.4 million was below the asking price of $1.495 million and is expected to close on Dec. 20.
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 ADAC Automotive building.
“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."
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. One of the top priorities for residents — identified by the 2018-19 Facilities and Services Study — is to make repairs and upgrades to Fire Station 1.
By combining all services under one roof, the Township will save about $70,000 a year that would have been spent on rent and utility costs.
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. For more information, click here.
More from 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
