MUSKEGON, MI – Muskegon County is expected to move many of its offices to the Baker College campus this year as plans to purchase the sprawling facility gain traction.
A consultant’s assessment of the campus facilities, located at Marquette Avenue and Quarterline Road, found Baker College has done “an excellent job” in maintaining them, Muskegon County Administrator Mark Eisenbarth told MLive.
Meanwhile, Baker College is continuing its search for a new location in downtown Muskegon, which could take up to three years. Until then, classes will continue to be held at the Marquette campus, even if the county moves offices there.
The county plans to use part of its $33 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to purchase the property located across Marquette from Muskegon Community College.
It then would sell most of the property on Apple Avenue near downtown that comprises its South Campus, Eisenbarth said. The county also likely would sell a building on Oak Avenue where it’s emergency services department is located, he said.
The move could occur as early as late summer, he said.
Baker College intends to move out of its 300,000-square-foot campus to a smaller facility in downtown Muskegon, where its culinary school is located at Clay Avenue and Third Street.
The college “continues to investigate property options and partnerships” in the downtown, Baker College of Muskegon President Aaron Maike said in a written statement emailed to MLive.
“We are looking for a location that will provide our students with the benefits of a walkable community in conjunction with our current Culinary Institute of Michigan location,” Maike said.
Both Maike and Eisenbarth said the purchase agreement would allow Baker College to continue offering classes at its current campus for up to three years
There is plenty of room at the college campus, which is more than twice the size the county needs, at least in the short term, Eisenbarth said.
Among the county’s operations at the South Campus that eventually would move are the health department, the treasurer, register of deeds and equalization. Relocating to the college campus would allow Muskegon County to locate its non-court operations together, including some, such as county administration, that are currently located at the Michael E. Kobza Hall of Justice.
That would free up the Hall of Justice to house only court-related services.
Eisenbarth wouldn’t share a price for the property that the county and college have been discussing. However, he said it would be less than the cost of needed repairs of buildings at the South Campus. Officials said earlier that those facilities need $20 million repairs due to “deteriorating” conditions.
Remaining at the South Campus location will be the Juvenile Transition Center, which opened in 2014, Eisenbarth said.
While it waits for its new location to be ready, Baker College would remain at the campus, taking up space at its Health Sciences Center, Eisenbarth said.
The college opened that 35,000-square-foot center in 2014 at a cost of $8 million. It eventually would become the home of Public Health – Muskegon County, which would remain at South Campus longer than other county operations, Eisenbarth said.
The county would seek to lease out space at the campus, providing an opportunity for organizations that already work with the county to have better access and networking, he said.
Lease revenue could help the county pay for maintenance of the property, he said.
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