The loss created by the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department’s relocation from their Cassopolis office on M-62 may prove to be a gain for parole officers stationed in the county.

Cass County Administrator Roger Fraser introduced a resolution to the board of commissioners during their meeting Thursday that would permit parole staff with the Michigan Department of Corrections to relocate from their current offices inside the county annex to the county-owned former health department building, located at 201 M-62. If approved, the county will put forward $41,335 in funding to facilitate the migration.

Several pieces of electronic, security and communications will be need to be installed before the agents will be able to move inside the building, Fraser said. These items include:

• Three security cameras that will allow employees to monitor the public area and hallways of the building, priced at $2,600.

• Internet-connect telephone equipment, priced at $3,100.

• Fire alarm system, priced at $10,250.

• A security alarm system that includes glass breakage detectors, priced at $3,994.

• Fire/security alarm communication system, priced at $650.

• Five percent contingency costs to cover missed items, at $1,750.

The county will also cover the cost of door security system, priced at $6,700.

“There are six doors that would be accessed routinely, but they would be using a card-swipe system instead of the method we have here, which is a combination lock,” Fraser said.

Per state law, Michigan counties are required to bear most of the costs for housing DOC parole agents within their limits. The state agency will be spilling the costs of the $24,582 worth of fiber optic cable required to wire the building to the state’s computer network system.

Should the resolution be passed this month, the installation of the wiring could begin by mid-May, according to Kerry Collins, the county information systems director.

“We have to wait until the ground is free of any frost so there are no problems with boring underneath driveways they have to go under,” Collins said. “The installation should take a few weeks, once they begin the process.”

The placement of the fiber optic cable and other networking systems inside the building will be handled by the state.

Once the move is complete, the annual utility costs are expected to be in excess of $30,000, Fraser said.

The resolution will move forward for a vote before the commissioners during their next meeting, on April 16.