By TOM GILCHRIST
For The Advertiser
CASS CITY — Cass City Public Schools Board of Education members may vote to offer the former Campbell Elementary School for sale once they agree on an asking price.
“It’s not an easy decision, so if we’re going to list it for sale, we should put it out there at a high price, and if somebody comes along and wants to give us that price, it would be fairly obvious we should take it,” Trustee Jeff Loomis said at Monday night’s board meeting.
“I would hate to list it at a price that we would vote no on (when asked to sell),” Loomis said.
Board members agreed to direct Superintendent Jeff Hartel to meet with village of Cass City officials regarding the future of the former school along Rose Street, and also advised him to meet with Kelly & Co. Realty and with Osentoski Realty Co. about the possible sale.
In April, board members voted to offer to lease — but not sell — the former school to a group proposing to use the building as a nonprofit dental clinic for low-income adults. The group hasn’t agreed to lease the structure.
Hartel told board members that in the coming weeks he will meet with Cass City Village Manager Peter J. Cristiano about the future of the former school located in the village. Hartel said he’ll also meet with representatives of the two realty companies to “try to get creative and come back with a gameplan” on offering the former school for sale.
Hartel said he’ll return with information for board members at their next regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27.
“I would like to at least see the building at least go up for sale — because it hasn’t ever been publicized to go up for sale — and see if we have anybody else interested in it,” said board Secretary Sloane Stimpfel.
Trustee Janie Meeker said she opposes selling the former school at this time, noting that a milk-processing plant being built in Cass City could bring more students and create a need for more classroom space.
Meeker said she has spoken with village leaders who have said the new plant could bring several hundred jobs to Cass City, and she noted “if that is the case, then we have the potential to be overgrown.”
Hartel pointed out that even though the former school is closed, the school district incurs fees such as utility costs.
“We spent about $20,000 last year on that building, which is $20,000 we could use somewhere else, but I also hear that if the milk plant comes in and there are all these jobs and people move here, there are two sides to it,” Hartel said. “We do have room to grow, I believe, with what (facilities) we have.”
While representatives of the proposed dental clinic inquired about buying the former school at an April board meeting, so did Randy Vollmar of Elmwood Township, brother of Gary Vollmar, an executive with Millennium Industries which has a Cass City plant. Randy Vollmar told the board then that Gary Vollmar would like to buy the vacant elementary school for $95,000.
But the board opted not to offer it for sale then.
“Are you opposed to putting stipulations on (the property) as far as what could be put in there?” Trustee Daniel Manwell asked Stimpfel on Monday.
“Why would you do that?” board Treasurer David Osentoski asked Manwell. “Why put stipulations on it? Put it out to whoever’s got the biggest checkbook, and if the village says they’ll let it be used for whatever, why should we as a school board determine what goes in there for a business?”
“Because you as a board member have the responsibility of keeping the kids safe that are just up the hill (along Ale Street),” Manwell told Osentoski. “Depending on who or what they put in that building, it may have an effect on that.”
Board President Craig Bellew weighed in, saying “If there’s someone who comes in with the most dollars and wants to buy it, so be it; let them worry about rezoning it.”
Bellew added that “I don’t think we want to get into that — that’s what (village boards and commissions) are for, to let them zone it.”
Manwell stressed he wants to sell the former school. “Obviously, the biggest dollar would win, but on the other hand, are you going to be sitting here when the semi goes through there making a delivery and runs over somebody?”
In other action on Monday, the school board congratulated 10th-grader Jose Torres and fifth-grader Raeven Periso, each of whom attended the meeting to receive the “Red Hawk Award of Excellence.”
Students are nominated by teachers or other school employees for qualities such as good grades, a positive attitude, cooperative spirit, generous nature, extracurricular involvement and eagerness to volunteer.