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By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
CUSTER — The Mason County Road Commission broke ground Thursday afternoon on a new headquarters and maintenance facility on its 90-acre property in the village of Custer, beginning the next phase of a move from its longtime Scottville location.
The ceremonial groundbreaking took place at the Road Commission property at 2055 E. US 10 and included executive staff, the three appointed road commissioners, a representative of the Mason County Board of Commissioners and Road Commission personnel.
“Today, we gather to celebrate more than the beginning of construction,” said Steve Wessels, managing director of the Mason County Road Commission. “We are celebrating an investment in Mason County’s future and in the people who keep our roads safe, reliable, and open every day.”
Rendering of the new facility
The Road Commission is presently headquartered at 510 E. State St. in Scottville, where it has operated since 1940. Wessels said the demands placed on the agency, its employees and equipment have changed considerably during the past eight decades.
“This groundbreaking is about much more than constructing a new building,” Wessels said. “It represents our commitment to safety, public service, accountability, and stewardship. The decisions made by many people over many years will shape how roads are maintained, how winter storms are handled, and how services are delivered throughout Mason County for decades to come.”
Plans call for an approximately 60,000-square-foot facility that will include a maintenance shop, vehicle and equipment storage, offices, meeting space and other improvements. The overall project was estimated earlier this year at $26.5 million, with Mason County authorizing up to $24.5 million in capital improvement bonds. The bonds are to be repaid through Road Commission revenues, grants and other legally available funds, with county officials previously stating that additional taxes are not anticipated to repay the debt.
Employees of the Road Commission pose for a photo.
Wessels thanked the Mason County Board of Commissioners for moving the bonding proposal forward, along with elected officials in Lansing and Washington who helped secure $2 million in grant funding for the project.
“Today is the fulfillment of a shared vision,” Wessels said. “It reflects the work of current and former board members, employees, community leaders, advisors, elected officials, and partners who asked difficult questions, studied the options, developed the plans, secured the resources, and kept this effort moving forward.”
The new headquarters follows construction of a 28,000-square-foot chemical storage building on the Custer property. Work on that $2.5 million building began in 2025 as the first phase of the Road Commission’s plan to consolidate its operations at the 90-acre site. The Michigan Department of Transportation funded 67% of that project, with the Road Commission paying the remainder.
Wessels said Thursday’s groundbreaking marks a transition that has been discussed and planned for years.
“Today, we are not simply turning dirt,” he said. “We are turning the page from a facility that has served us since 1940 to a new chapter beginning in 2027.”
Site plan of the Road Commission’s Custer property.
Custer Village President David Sanders said the development will also benefit the community.
“This is going to be a great addition to the Village of Custer,” Sanders said. “We are looking forward to seeing the expansion of facilities at this new site.”
The Road Commission’s Scottville headquarters has its own place in Mason County history. The maintenance and operations building was constructed in 1940 on a seven-acre site and contains approximately 18,050 square feet, according to the Road Commission’s 2030 Strategic Plan.
The original office and garage were constructed as a Works Progress Administration project during the New Deal era. Designed by R.V. Gay, the reinforced-concrete building features a bowed garage roof supported by trusses, rounded corners on its front facade and glass-block detailing.
That building has remained the center of Road Commission operations for more than 85 years, even as trucks and other road-maintenance equipment have become larger and the agency’s operational needs have expanded.
Wessels said reaching Thursday’s ceremony required years of planning, negotiations and work by current and former commissioners, employees, county officials, consultants and others.
“It has been a long road getting here — but as the Road Commission, we understand that the roads worth traveling are rarely the easiest ones,” Wessels said.
The Mason County Road Commission is governed by a three-member board appointed by the Mason County Board of Commissioners. Its current members are Chairman Jeff Conklin, Vice Chairman Mike Ingison and Commissioner Deb Del Zoppo. The agency is responsible for 237 miles of county roads, 716 miles of local roads and 39 bridges.
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