News FIle Photo Alpena Public Schools Transportation Facility is pictured in September 2020 at its location at 1357 M-32 W.

ALPENA — Alpena Public School officials are encouraged by the headway developers are making on a proposed transportation facility.

APS officials are working with Grosse Pointe-based Vautgrand Holdings 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.

The property would then be transferred and an Aldi would open at the M-32 site, if all goes according to plan.

Superintendent David Rabbideau told the board of education’s property committee on Monday the district has received draft drawings of the proposed facility, but noted the developer is asking the district to amend their agreement and give them until March 22 to provide the final drawings.

“Aldi is moving forward and doing some work at their expense, which is encouraging,” he said. “So this most recent amendment is just to align the documentations with that movement, but just on a different timeline.”

Rabbideau said district officials have reviewed the draft drawings and have proposed some changes to the developer. He said the changes were to the proposed location and direction of the building.

“We think that space will allow us to safely store the busses and work on the busses but also get some additional parking for athletic events with some minor work to the area,” he said.

Additionally, he said the developers are doing a Phase II environmental site assessment which is “a good sign of progress and commitment to the deal.” A Phase II environmental site assessment tests for potentially contaminated areas.

“They have until March 31 to get that work done and then determine whether they want to move forward from an environmental standpoint, but they have skin in the game and we think they will probably keep moving at that point,” he said.

Rabbideau said he hoped the new transportation facility would be available for summer or fall, but that it looks like it would be closer to Christmas break before they could move in.