RCAS board offered $1 for Grambau Center building/grounds

January 16, 2014January 16, 2014 Editor

by Angie Asam-Staff Writer

The Rogers City Area Schools (RCAS) Board of Education was offered $1 for the Grambau Center building and grounds at its meeting Monday evening. Richard Smith, who moved here recently from North Carolina, to tell people about Rogers City, appeared before the board with his proposal.

0314-Grambau-Center — THE GRAMBAU Center building has been a topic of discussion many times as the school district continues to find a way to sell the building as they are no longer using it. The former high school building also housed fifth and sixth grades for several years as well as the central office, Tots Aboard and Head Start. Now it sits vacant. Richard Smith offered the school board one dollar for the building as he wishes to turn it into a convention center. (Photo by Peter Jakey)

Smith proposes purchasing the building and ground from RCAS and turning the building into a future community center that would be known as “The Rogers City Convention Center.”

“I researched Rogers City online for four years before moving my family up here. I used city data (www.city-data.com) and found out that Rogers City is a safe place to live,” said Smith.

“I would like to purchase the grounds and building located there from the school system and am offering $1 for that building and grounds. I know this is a very small amount for this property but it is all I can afford to offer,” he said.

In his proposal Smith discusses his intent to ask the city of Rogers City to wave the taxes associated with the building for 10 years to allow him to develop the property into something that can pay for itself and afford the taxes.

Smith proposes a three-stage plan for the building, the first being opening the first floor area near the gymnasium and the gym with other areas of the building locked and blocked off. He would then get estimates on upgrading the bathrooms near the gym and raise money through fundraising to fix the bathrooms.

After raising the necessary funds, within three months ideally, he would have the work done and open the building from noon until 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, on Saturday from 9 a.m until 9 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. He would open the building for people to use the gym for exercise, play sports and socialize. Smith would also try to organize league basketball, volleyball and soccer games in the gym.

Friday nights he would have music and karaoke and Saturdays and Sundays he would hold a community flea market.

Smith goes on to discuss many ideas in his plan including job fairs, dog shows, karate tournaments, cheerleading competitions, dance competitions, singing competitions, comedy night, fine arts competitions and professional wrestling.

For all activities he would suggest a $1 donation to go toward upkeep of the facility.

He would also hope to add a concession stand, a break room, a meeting room, a coffee shop, soup kitchen, emergency shelter and other ideas.

AT THE end of his time allotted to present to the board the board thanked him for his presentation. At the end of the meeting set aside for board members concerns/comments board president Mike Marx offered advice to Smith suggesting that he have his proposal more formalized by having it looked at by an attorney before the board could really consider his offer.