GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – After accepting bids through February 2023, the Grand Rapids Board of Education will be considering several companies’ proposals on a former high school property. 

MORE NEWS: Report: How Trump Won Michigan

The nearly century old building, formerly known as Adelante High School, will be the focus of the meeting, as its fate was given two options in December 2022 – sale or demolition. 

“Our primary goal for this process is to determine if there are any viable projects on the table for the property that meet community needs or needs of the city as a whole,” Raynard Ross, Grand Rapids Public School Board President, said previously in a release. “We will move forward judiciously and obtain input from area residents before making any final decisions. We understand how important it is to do this right.”

At the regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting, several proposals will be considered by GRPS staff, who will make a final recommendation for the future of the site.  There will also be a portion of the meeting allotted for public comment. 

One of the catalysts for the determination of the school’s future is the Facilities Master Plan, which according to GRPS officials says that the district operates too many buildings for the number of students in the district. 

Before the new board members joined last year, Grand Rapids Superintendent Leadriane Roby said that the board will likely end up demolishing the former high school according to MLIVE; she said repurposing the building probably won’t be likely, because the cost of fixing it up is far more expensive than the building is worth. 

A notice from the district lists the minimum sale price of the property as $385,000.  Furthermore, the estimated cost of demolishing the building is roughly $175,500 according to the notice.  A preliminary estimate projects that the cost to restore the building back to code could cost owners between $7 million and $10 million.  

MORE NEWS: Elissa Slotkin Secures Victory in Tight Michigan Senate Race

Adelante High School was formerly closed in 2004 and has been empty for more than a decade.