Kalamazoo County

Kalamazoo County decided to proactively plan for the future of its facilities and operations. As a major component of this effort, a long-range master plan was developed for various county facilities that embody the ideas of improved service to its citizens while reducing operating costs and offering guidance for capital expenditure planning.

TowerPinkster lead planning efforts while working with a Steering Committee from Kalamazoo County. This committee was represented by administrative staff, commissioners, and department employees who identified specific goals in initial planning meetings. A number of needs were mentioned, including enhancing citizen access to county programs, consolidating courts, enhancing safety, reducing facilities maintenance, operational and energy costs, and integrating non-County and County programs and services, to name a few.

The Facilities Master Plan was then undertaken in a four-step work plan consisting of Gathering Information/Visioning, Idea Generation, Conceptual Options, and finalizing the Facilities Master Plan. Through this process, the team was able to understand square footage needs, efficiencies, and departmental adjacencies for Administration, Health and Community Services, Courts, and other departments.

After investigating a number of scenarios, a hybrid solution was recommended that reduced the county’s non-jail square footage to four main locations. The plan is being executed in three phases over the course of 15 years with the majority of the work already taking place in Phase One.

Other recommendations intended for implementation over the following ten years include continued work on deferred maintenance items, especially work at the County Administration Building and the Michigan Avenue Courthouse.