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Entities showing interest in Sunset Elementary building

News Photo by Tyler Winowiecki Sunset Elementary closed its doors in June of 2010 due to declining enrollment and shifting of resources. Now Alpena Public Schools is considering partnerships with local entities such as the Alpena Senior Center.

ALPENA — With multiple entities showing interest toward the closed Sunset Elementary school property, the Alpena Senior Center stood out to Alpena Public Schools for further consideration.

In June 2010 Sunset Elementary, located off of Hobbs Drive, was closed due to declining enrollment and a realignment of resources. This leaves APS with six elementaries within its district.

APS Superintendent John VanWagoner said during a February board of education committee meeting that the district had received several inquires about the property.

“We’ve had some interest from various people but one that we’re really interested in talking further with is people from the Alpena Senior Center,” he said. “They have some interest in sharing of that building.”

VanWagoner said the idea of a shared building could lessen the burden on the district’s two largest elementaries, Besser and Ella White. He cited the example of Ella White to remove its computer lab just to accommodate the extra students.

The idea of reopening the Sunset property would not be just for APS use, VanWagoner said. The size of the building could be a multipurpose easing some burden off of other elementaries.

While concrete proposals do not yet exist, VanWagoner did mention the possibility to use the building for the Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District’s Early Childhood Program.

Currently the building is used on an ad hoc basis such as staging, storage or the area’s Bluebag program which assemblies food bags for students in need.

“One of the considerations we could have in the future is a multiple sharing of entities in that building, it is much larger than we would need,” VanWagoner said. “I wouldn’t open that building just for our needs.”

Representatives from the senior center requested a site visit with APS to Sunset. Concurrently APS is determining what would have to be done to bring the building back into code.

VanWagoner said the building and the property is still in good shape for having been closed for nearly seven years.

The idea of partnering with the senior center stems from the group’s own lack of space at its building in the city. VanWagoner said the partnership could be a way for the district to give back to the community and lessen its own burdens and maybe increase revenues.

“Let it be known that we’re looking at options to partner with folks to help them but also help the students here in our district as well,” he said.

Tyler Winowiecki can be reached via email at twinowiecki@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688. Follow Tyler on Twitter tw_alpenanews.

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