A preliminary purchase agreement has been drafted between the Grosse Pointe-based Vautgrand Holdings, LLC. and the school district, Gordon VanWieren, attorney with Thrun Law Firm, told the Board of Education’s Property Committee today.

“I want to make it very clear up front, this is a very preliminary situation,” VanWieren said. “There’s no guarantees that the purchaser will, in fact, come through and determine whether it makes financial sense to move forward.”

VanWieren said if it makes financial sense to move forward, the board will have the opportunity to review the plans, accept or reject them, or modify them.

District officials would like to relocate the district’s transportation facility from its current location at 1357 M-32 West to a new location behind Alpena High School, near Wildcat Stadium.

Courtesy Photo A rendering of an Aldi grocery store is pictured here in this graphic provided by Aldi.

A search on the Aldi website says an Alpena location is coming soon.

If the Board of Education approves the contract, VanWieren said the developer has 60 days to prepare plans and specifications for the new transportation facility to present to the board. He said the board would then have 30 days to review the project and determine whether the plans and specifications are acceptable.

VanWieren said the developer would be responsible for constructing the new transportation facility at the high school and cover all costs of the project. He said the developer would also provide a $1 million performance bond, so, if something were to happen, the school district could finish the new transportation facility.

VanWieren said the transfer of the school’s existing property would not occur to the end of the project because the school district needs to continue using that facility until the new facility is built. District officials would like to see the new transportation facility completed by Dec. 31, 2021.

Once the facility is complete and the property is transferred, VanWieren said it would go back on the tax roll and become taxable in 2022.