The future of Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) buildings will be the subject of two district meetings this week. Trustees will consider property offers tonight (Monday) for Bertha Vos Elementary School and the TCAPS Administration Building on Webster Street – with multiple groups now expressing interest in the Administration Building. Trustees will also review public survey data and professional condition assessments of TCAPS buildings at a board retreat Wednesday – open to the public – to begin narrowing down a list of projects that will be included in the district’s 2024 bond proposal.

Property Offers
After several rounds of negotiations, Acme Township and TCAPS could be nearing a deal for the township to purchase the former Bertha Vos Elementary School on Shore Road.

TCAPS trustees voted earlier this summer to authorize staff to sign an agreement to sell the school to Acme for $600,000. However, TCAPS removed a proposed provision from the agreement stating the parties could negotiate on that price if significant roof repairs were needed in the building. Acme Township trustees then rejected those terms, citing concerns that repairs – including a potential new roof and boiler – could put the township’s upfront costs at $1.3 million. Township Trustee Jean Aukerman told TCAPS trustees that township leaders were still “energized” about the project, but had to secure a deal that reflected Acme’s budgetary constraints. “We just have to find a way to afford it,” she said.

TCAPS trustees authorized staff to continue negotiations with Acme with the goal of producing a revised purchase agreement that would return to the TCAPS and Acme boards for approval. At an August 2 finance committee meeting, TCAPS Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Christine Thomas-Hill said that Acme “decided to go ahead and spend money on the inspection process,” hiring someone to evaluate the building’s boiler and roof. “They are hoping to complete that in time to present a purchase agreement on August 14,” Thomas-Hill said, meaning trustees could potentially review and approve the agreement tonight. Acme Township hopes to use the property as a new community township hall, with space for childcare, after-school activities, community events, and partner services from GT Metro Fire, Traverse Area District Library, NMC Extended Education Services, and the GT County Senior Center Network.

Trustees will also consider offers for the TCAPS Administration Building tonight. Will Bartlett and Tom O'Hare of Keel Capital have offered to purchase the property for $1 million, with the goal of demolishing the building and constructing a 20-unit housing development with 14 townhomes and six cottage homes. The developers included the smaller cottage homes – each estimated to be up to 1,000 square feet in size – in an attempt “to provide attainable housing for TCAPS employees and other essential workers that power our community,” according to their proposal. The partners previously submitted a non-binding letter of intent, but will now present an actual purchase agreement to the board, according to Thomas-Hill. The plan is contingent on Traverse City commissioners approving a series of proposed housing zoning changes, including loosening the rules for cluster housing. Commissioners are set to discuss those changes at an August 28 study session.

In the meantime, two other parties have also expressed interest in purchasing the Administration Building. The Grand Traverse County Land Bank Authority has received a $500,000 Blight Elimination Program grant, which can be used to support affordable housing projects, rehabilitate publicly owned property, or eliminate blighted structures. At the Land Bank Authority’s July 28 meeting, County Deputy Administrator Chris Forsyth indicated staff “are exploring a potential project that would convert the TCAPS Administration Building into an affordable housing development,” according to meeting minutes. TCAPS Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner told finance committee members that the Land Bank Authority is likely “quite a ways from any (formal) offer...but they did want to the board to know that they are interested.”

Another team of developers has also reached out with a proposal for the property. Local architect Ken Richmond and local builder/developer Eric Gerstner have formed Boardman Building LLC with a plan to “reconfigure the existing building into residential units, not tear down.” Several Boardman Neighborhood residents have strongly advocated for preserving the historic building, though renovating instead of demolishing the aging facility will likely come at a steep cost. (A recent condition assessment created for TCAPS bond planning put Administration Building repairs at over $7 million – a price tag that didn’t include engineering, construction management, or other related expenses).

However, Richmond said in a press release that Boardman Building LLC “has assembled a comprehensive team from within the Traverse City community to help plan, advise, fund, and ultimately rehab” the Administration Building. “There is broad local support to find a way to save this iconic building as the centerpiece of the historic Boardman neighborhood,” he wrote.

Bond Planning
TCAPS trustees will meet Wednesday at 10am at the Administration Building for a facilitated board retreat on 2024 bond planning. Trustees are using programming assessments – in which staff, students, and other facility users identify needs for their spaces, such as creating a dedicated music room – along with professional condition assessments of TCAPS buildings and community survey data to create a master plan for capital projects. That plan will help shape the district’s 2024 bond proposal. TCAPS has gathered over 2,000 survey responses, including 1,127 parents/community members, 580 students, 147 facility users, and 317 employees.

Trustees Wednesday will review those survey results, as well as the condition assessments of TCAPS buildings. The assessments list needed repairs according to three priority levels (1, 2, and 3), with cost estimates attached. TCAPS already knows some projects it likely needs to address in the 2024 bond – like the reconstruction of Central Grade School – but the condition assessments and survey data will help flag others. As one example, “almost all of the elementary schools have drainage issues with playgrounds,” said Thomas-Hill – a major recurring challenge that produces significant levels of mud, which is being tracked into school buildings and overwhelming custodial services, she said.

The goal of Wednesday’s board retreat is to allow trustees to ask questions and have open dialogue about needed improvements across the district, with the goal of then crafting the bond proposal over the next four months. “At the end of the day, we'll be able to see Priority 1 costs, Priority 2, Priority 3 – and then have a conversation,” said Thomas-Hill. “We're not asking for any decisions until January on the bond and the total dollars, but it puts things into perspective about what's really needed and what the total dollars equate to.”