WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

 

Grand Haven Board of Light & Power drops plans for old fire building

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. -- An architectural firm tells the Grand Haven Board of Light & Power it could cost up to $4.3 million dollars to renovate a historic fire department building into an administrative and customer service center.

So, the B-L-P has decided to drop the plans it had for the historic building on Columbus Avenue at North Fifth Street. It cited the high expense of renovation and fragmented layout as key reasons. It had architectural firm Progressive AE to evaluate the option of repurposing the site. But Progressive estimated the cost to restore and reconfigure the space might run between $3.3 and $4.3 million.

The board requested the evaluation after City Manager Ashley Latsch introduced the concept of the BLP purchasing and renovating the facility in January.

"We're back to looking at several other different facilities that are available in the local real estate marketplace, and going forward in that regard," BLP General Manager Dave Walters told WOOD Radio. "We really don't at this point in time have a set plan on when that's going to be done and how quickly it's going to be done."

According to a Grand Haven BLP news release:

The BLP has been seeking space for customer service and administrative functions since the operations workers were relocated to the Eaton Drive Service Center following the closure of the JB Sims Power Plant. As identified in its 2021 Business Readiness Risk Assessment, the BLP has also been looking to identify replacement backup facilities for business continuity and disaster recovery, which were removed when the power plant was retired and demolished.

“The utility needs to replace some additional workspaces and backup facilities since the closure of the Sims Power Plant and the Diesel Plant, which is why we voted unanimously to pursue this initial evaluation,” said Vice-Chairperson Gerry Witherell. “However, given the unique fragmented layout of the former fire department building and its current condition, this option is just too expensive to restore and reconfigure for our needs. It is just not a good fit overall.”

Last month, David Shull, Progressive AE spokesman, informed the Board that the near 100-year-old former fire department building presents some unique historical attributes, however maintaining it as a public building has challenges if the electric utility decides to pursue it.

“The building still contains a considerable amount of asbestos and lead/cadmium-based paint which needs to be removed, said Shull. “The brick exterior is failing on both the fire engine hall and the hose drying tower, which will require investment to repair and preserve this historical local building along with some significant mechanical and electrical issues that would need to be addressed. Additionally, there are five different floor elevation levels that make it a challenge for workflow from a single occupancy perspective as well as compliance with the Americans with Disability Act standards for accessibility of a public building.”

“At the conclusion of their evaluation, Progressive AE explained to us that the repurposing of the former Fire Department building was not the most cost-effective option,” said Chairman Mike Westbrook. “It was a good concept, but there is just too much that needs to be done to the building and the building layout isn’t a good fit.”

General Manager David Walters commented, “We appreciate the City Manager introducing the concept, and while this option didn’t pan out, she is also keeping us informed about other possibilities coming across her desk. We also appreciate the level of effort that Progressive AE put into this evaluation; they’re a good firm that knows what they are doing. Wherever we ultimately end, we want to make sure it makes good economic sense and provides value to our electric customers, the utility, and the community collectively.”  

The GHBLP provides electricity for approximately 15,000 customers in Grand Haven and the surrounding area.    

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