Grand Traverse County breaks ground on $27.8 million safety campus

Grand Traverse County is spending $27,795,000 to replace aging emergency communications and operations space with a new public safety campus in Garfield Township, a project officials say is meant to strengthen 911 dispatch, disaster response and county operations under one roof.

County leaders broke ground May 12 on the LaFranier Road expansion, moving Project Alpha toward construction after more than two years of planning. The campus will include a 13,500-square-foot combined Emergency Operations and Communications Center and a 38,000-square-foot Centralized Operations Building, bringing key county functions together at one site.

County Administrator Nate Alger called the project “the most substantial shift for the county since the health department was built in 2012.” That is the scale county officials are attaching to the work: not a routine facilities upgrade, but a core public-safety investment meant to change how Grand Traverse County answers emergencies and manages daily operations.

Grand Traverse Central Dispatch handles law enforcement, fire and EMS calls for all of Grand Traverse County and the City of Traverse City, so the new campus is aimed directly at the county’s emergency backbone. The county was already seeking a replacement for its current NG9-1-1 call-handling system in December 2025, saying it no longer met operational expectations and was plagued by malfunctions.

Planning for the project dates to March 6, 2024, when commissioners directed staff to develop a plan for a 911 Center, Emergency Operations Center and facilities building at the LaFranier campus. A county construction memo dated April 11, 2024 identified the effort as Project Alpha and tied it to the broader facilities master plan. The county’s March 18 resolution also launched the required 45-day referendum period before bonds can be issued.

Officials have also loaded the campus with resilience features. County records say the guaranteed maximum price includes geothermal wells, solar energy systems for both buildings, a potable water well, underground stormwater retention, a snowmelt system and a rain garden planned with The Greenspire School. County records also say 84% of the contract value was awarded to local Grand Traverse County subcontractors.

The project arrives as the county has faced repeated emergency strain. Grand Traverse County declared a local state of emergency on April 14 because of flooding impacts, and the Beitner Road bridge collapse was expected to take six or more months to repair. With completion expected in 2027, the campus now carries a clear test: whether a $27.8 million investment can deliver faster coordination, stronger communications and more reliable public safety capacity when the county needs it most.