Neighbor floats $600,000 Bertha Vos proposal

Travis Snyder and Jordan Travis, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·3 min read

Apr. 12—TRAVERSE CITY — The empty Bertha Vos Elementary School has value, that much is clear even after a $1.2 million deal recently fell through.

One neighbor wants Traverse City Area Public Schools to consider the shuttered school and grounds' ecological worth — and wants to buy it with no redevelopment in mind.

Jason Schreiber offered in August to buy the school to conserve the land, and possibly rent it to a nonprofit as a community center, according to an email he sent to a TCAPS administrator.

He pointed to a growing bald eagle population at Deepwater Point Nature Preserve, kitty-corner to the school in Acme Township. He also noted his concerns that a real estate developer who doesn't share community values for conservation might buy it.

The offer is for $600,000 — which is less than the current price tag of $1 million. TCAPS Board of Trustees unanimously voted to raise the price from $775,000 on Monday. Scott Hardy, a real estate agent working with TCAPS and a former school board member, said that raising the price "will allow the board to narrow in on potential candidates."

Hardy confirmed Thursday that Schreiber is the same neighbor who made another offer shortly before school board members met on Monday. It's an offer that, while in the "very, very preliminary" stages, merits more discussion, he said.

"We're trying to figure out how to package this to make it acceptable to both parties," he said.

Those negotiations are still confidential at this point, so he couldn't give much more detail.

But he did check with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy on possible routes to buy and preserve the land, potentially with the conservancy's coordination.

Hypothetically, that could involve a fund to which people could donate to buy the property, Hardy said. The land would be protected by deed restriction, or some other means, from redevelopment.

"I think if TCAPS can get what they want, the asking price or close to it, then I think they would find that a great solution," he said.

Dr. John VanWagoner, TCAPS superintendent, said the school board is open to concepts that could address the best interests of "our kids, of our community, and of that neighborhood to see if we can come up with the best solution."

"We have reached out to the agent, and we are trying to see if we can facilitate a conversation," he said, stating that the purpose would be to gain more information about what the potential buyer would like to do with the property. "I wouldn't expect any updates until after next week."

"As a board, we care about being fiscally responsible for the district, but also welcome both positive and negative comments about what we'd consider for the sale," said TCAPS Board of Education President Scott Newman-Bale. "As a member of the Acme community myself, I certainly want to see the members of that community happy."

A message for Schreiber, left Thursday, was not returned. He had contacted TCAPS amid negotiations with Acme Township for what township officials hoped could be future township government offices, meeting hall and possibly more.

Instead, concerns about the cost of rehabilitating the building prompted Acme trustees in November to walk away from a purchase agreement. Instead, they agreed in February to buy an office building three doors away from Acme's current town hall.

In December, SH East Bay Commons North LLC offered $1,225,000 for the vacant school — $500,000 more than the initial asking price of $775,000. TCAPS board members voted to accept the offer, but the Lansing-based developer backed out, after the township received roughly 70 letters urging against rezoning the property.

Writers mostly cited concerns about traffic and whether the company's proposed use fit in with the surrounding neighborhood at Deepwater Point and Shore roads.