TRAVERSE CITY -- Two elementary schools shut down by Traverse City Area Public Schools last summer could be in line for new ownership.
Acme Township officials have expressed interest in acquiring Bertha Vos Elementary located off U.S. 31 in the township, while Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan is looking to relocate its offices to Norris Elementary at M-22 and Cherry Bend Road in Elmwood Township.
Both schools closed in June 2008.
The talks are preliminary but have progressed further than previous inquiries, said Paul Soma, chief financial officer for TCAPS. The inquiries align with the district's desire for use that "fits in with the community dynamic," he said.
Child and Family Services is a nonprofit agency that offers foster care and adoption services. Chief executive officer Jim Scherrer said the agency and the school district serve a similar population, and Norris' west-side location makes it an attractive site.
The organization moved to Veterans Drive in Garfield Township in 1986 with 24 employees, Scherrer said. Now there are 67 and a temporary office nearby.
A school setting could be practical for supervised family visits and for foster children to gain life skills, such as cooking, before they age out of the system, he said. The public could use the playground.
The nonprofit likely wouldn't need all 35,000 square feet, Scherrer said, so space could be shared with other human services agencies.
"It's our intention to keep it an attractive and appealing professional building," he said.
Acme Township Supervisor Wayne Kladder said he meets regularly with Soma about the future of Bertha Vos. Parents and residents there were among the most vocal opponents to the school closings.
The hope is to preserve the school for community use, but Kladder said it's too early to know in what capacity.
"There's a lot of heritage in that building," he said. "That property is endearing to all of our hearts."
Neither Kladder nor Scherrer had cost estimates for acquisition and renovation. But both said they knew of the unexpectedly high fees for upgrades the district faced when it considered moving offices into Sabin Elementary, which closed in 2005.
"We don't like seeing it empty," Scherrer said of Norris. "We'll arrive at the costs, and then we'll devise a plan to do the work to see how we're going to raise the dollars."
Soma said revenue from a sale would be reserved for future land purchases by TCAPS. He said it would be "irresponsible" to sell property without considering future expansion needs.
"I would never recommend selling the buildings and using the proceeds on a short-term basis," he said. "We have to have options."
