August deadline set for Grambau plans
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ALPENA -- A downstate company that specializes in taking old schools and repurposing them into housing is expected to propose a plan to the Rogers City Area Schools board before the board votes on selling the old Grambau Center.
Currently, the school district has a $5,000 offer for the old high school from Dave Dargis, of Alpena, but officials anticipate Ethos Development Partners, a Detroit firm, could also submit a bid and plan for the former school before the Aug. 14 school board board meeting.
Lenny Avery, Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce economic development coordinator, has been working with Ethos and toured the school with a representative of the company. Avery said it appeared after the tour that the vacant school was intriguing to Ethos. He anticipates a plan that could include dozens of market-rate apartments.
"They walked around it and just fell in love with the architecture, the view of Lake Huron from the second floor, and the planetarium," Avery said. "He told me, 'We have to do something to this building.' He said this is going to be their next project."
Time is of the essence, however, and there are hurdles that need to be cleared, Avery said.
The Rogers City Board of Education gave Avery and Ethos only two months to craft a development plan and a design plan and to line up funding and work with the state for any financial assistance it could offer. Avery said four months would have been ideal.
"In four months, we could have laid out a plan outlining steps A through Z, but, in two months, maybe we can do steps A and B," Avery said. "Still, I am confident there will be a bid from Ethos before the August meeting."
The old school was built in 1927 and is two stories tall. It measures out at 41,000 square feet, not including the basement. It has a large gymnasium and is a close walk to downtown Rogers City. It has been unused for years and a drain on the school district budget.
School board President Gregory Zurakowski told The News on Thursday that the board expects concrete, detailed plans from Dargis, too and the board will determine what direction it will take based on the proposals, not necessarily how much the bids come in at.
"If we can pull something off that's going to be good for the region, we're all for that," Zurakowski said.