Committee approves three‑year lease for school food processing kitchen backed by $600,000 PLANTS grant

The Mesquite County Winter and Means Committee on Dec. 10 authorized a three‑year lease with the Stephen Area Intermediate School District to house a food processing and commissary kitchen funded in part by a federal PLANTS grant.

Dan Bormann, identified in the record as the school food service director for Montague and North Muskegon, told the committee the center would process local farm products into ready‑to‑use ingredients and prepared items for distribution to school kitchens across the county and to other institutions. "The goal of my head in my head is that, you know, having a Muskegon Monday where every student across Muskegon County is eating fresh food that is grown in Muskegon County with recipes that are created by Muskegon County kids," Bormann said.

Bormann said the project was funded by a three‑year PLANTS grant valued at $600,000 and that the award will support staff, a production manager and help cover the lease. He described partnerships with the CareerTech Center culinary program and the Michigan Bean Council and said the operation aims to increase use of Michigan‑grown products and maximize state incentives such as the 10¢‑per‑meal incentive for local purchases.

Committee members pressed for more detail on lease economics, responsibility for build‑out and equipment lead times. One commissioner asked whether the county could be asked to pay for the build‑out; county staff said final lease language and responsibilities were under negotiation with corporate counsel and would be finalized after further meetings. Bormann acknowledged equipment and health‑department approvals will be required and said some equipment may come from existing district kitchens or partners such as Michigan State University.

The committee also discussed implementation timing. Bormann said the PLANTS award began in May and the team had completed much of the pre‑work; the grant runs three years and the program expected to produce specific deliverables by the end of the current year, though he said the timeline could shift if they needed to pivot. "At one point in the last four years, I was on a Zoom call with two PhDs and potatoes from MSU," he said, describing the technical work behind processing certain products and the learning curve involved.

Supporters framed the project as both a public‑health and workforce development initiative, offering production experience for students and more local, less processed options in school meals. Bormann said previous philanthropic awards — he cited roughly $2 million in prior grants from entities including the Michigan Health Endowment Foundation — have supported related food‑service and wellness work in the county.

The committee voted to approve the three‑year lease and authorized the board chair to sign contingent on final corporate‑counsel review.

The county will present final lease terms, build‑out responsibilities and any cost exposures to the full board when those details are finalized.