Detroit School Demolitions

**Rocko** · May-03-10, 06:55 AM

May 3, 4:00 AM EDT

City High first of 10 schools to be torn down

DETROIT [[AP) -- The old Detroit City High will be the first of 10 public schools torn down as part of plan to rid neighborhoods of blighted buildings.
The district says in a release that demolition of the school is expected to start Monday morning. Nine other schools are slated to be torn down through June.
Demolition was authorized by emergency financial manager Robert Bobb and will be financed through bond money. Bobb says the district has established a hiring target of 100 percent Detroit residents to do the work and will help contractors meet that goal.
The district has dozens of closed schools and is expected to shutter about 50 more over the next three years. Bobb says the district hopes to sell or lease closed school buildings that are not in blighted condition.

**buildingsofdetroit** · May-03-10, 05:13 PM

Crunch

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...down-City-High

Originally Posted by Rocko

May 3, 4:00 AM EDT

City High first of 10 schools to be torn down

DETROIT [[AP) -- The old Detroit City High will be the first of 10 public schools torn down as part of plan to rid neighborhoods of blighted buildings.
The district says in a release that demolition of the school is expected to start Monday morning. Nine other schools are slated to be torn down through June.
Demolition was authorized by emergency financial manager Robert Bobb and will be financed through bond money. Bobb says the district has established a hiring target of 100 percent Detroit residents to do the work and will help contractors meet that goal.
The district has dozens of closed schools and is expected to shutter about 50 more over the next three years. Bobb says the district hopes to sell or lease closed school buildings that are not in blighted condition.

**buildingsofdetroit** · May-03-10, 05:34 PM

Sherrard and Breitmeyer are to bite it tomorrow.

**Zacha341** · May-04-10, 02:36 PM

DPS reports:

Demolitions continue Tuesday on vacant Detroit Public Schools buildings; 10 buildings to be torn down by June.

Detroit Public Schools on Tuesday, May 4, at 11 a.m. will demolish the former Sherrard school, 8300 Cameron, and Breitmeyer school, 8210 Cameron, to make way for a new Office of Public Safety headquarters, a 25,000-square-foot facility within a rebounding neighborhood that will mean enhanced security and additional policing.

The district on Monday began demolishing the former Detroit City High School building at 3500 McGraw. The buildings are among 10 vacant schools to be demolished from April through June 2010, as part of a plan that will rid neighborhoods of blight and create more than 100 jobs. Robert C. Bobb, Detroit Public Schools’ Emergency Financial Manager, has authorized and directed the demolition of the vacant schools, utilizing approximately $3.1 million from the 1994 Bond program. Future demolitions will be funded under the bond program approved by Detroit voters on Nov. 3, 2009.

“Vacant schools across Detroit have been blights on the community and safety hazards for far too long,” Bobb said. “Thanks to the taxpayers of Detroit for supporting Proposal S, we can now move forward with substantially changing the landscape of the city and remove these long-standing eyesores.”

The vacant schools slated for demolition are:

Ferry, Dexter F. Elementary School

Owen, John A. Elementary School [[OLD)

Newberry, John Elementary School

Woodward, Augusta B. Elementary School

Sherrard, Henry Gary Elementary/Middle

Breitmeyer Elementary School [[OLD FLICS)

Detroit City High School [[OLD) [[demo complete)

Sanders, Claire Mabel Elementary School

Scripps, James Edmond Elementary

Angell, James Burrill [[demolition complete)

Contractors are preparing the sites for the demolition through the weekend, including fencing off the locations. Abatement of hazardous materials will be completed on the school sites before demolition begins. More demolition dates will be announced.

**DetroitZack** · May-04-10, 10:36 PM

Detroit City High is already completely demo'd?

**Khartoum** · May-05-10, 07:58 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitZack

Detroit City High is already completely demo'd?

Well the one articles says... ""This school has been closed since 2007; it should have been demolished years ago," Bobb said." ...so it seems these articles are just fluff pieces to beat their chests to. Even if City High isn't completely gone, don't worry about it, just print that it is and we'll look great in the eyes of the readers...

**TheUsualSuspect** · August-19-15, 11:10 AM

I was given a library book with the name "Ferry Elementary School, Detroit Michigan" stamped on the inside cover sometime in the 1970's. The title of the book was "Trees, Stars and Birds" and as the title suggested...it was a science book which was divided into the 3 sections.

The book was in poor shape when I was given it. But I've kept it over the years. Thought it was cool that the planet "PLUTO" hadn't been discovered yet and therefore, wasn't in the book.

I'll probably leaf through it again tonight. I probably haven't look at that book in 20 years.

**Richard** · August-19-15, 12:04 PM

Which brings us back to reuse,the world wide construction boom of the early 2000s created a construction sand shortage,sounds silly but beach sand is the only sand that bonds when used in construction.

In the next 5 to 10 years it will become extremely expensive to build new,there are already sand mafias stealing sand to sell to the US and several countries have outlawed sand exportation.

Florida's beaches are made up of sand that starts in the Appalachian mountains and it takes 1000 years for that grain of sand to work its way down to that beach.

Sounds silly like I said but people laugh at China for building entire vacant cities without realizing they are really built on the bases that the population will expand and the materials that will be needed will no longer be available at a affordable rate,they will be way ahead of the game when it comes to future growth.

We need to stop the destruction of buildings and figure out how to fit them back into daily life because soon they will be literally un-replaceable.

**KJ5** · August-20-15, 03:16 AM

Nobody responded to this thread for 5 years. Meanwhile they're slowly getting demo'ed by neglect.

**Gpwrangler** · August-20-15, 03:27 AM

I wonder what portion of Detroit taxes go to DPS?

**Hypestyles** · August-20-15, 08:19 AM

Catherine Crosman Elementary has been grouped into the Herman Keifer campus in a sale to a developer- http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...hood/28893325/

**ndavies** · August-20-15, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by Gpwrangler

I wonder what portion of Detroit taxes go to DPS?

About 33% of a non-homesteaded property. 30 Mills for board of Ed, 85 mills total
about 18% of a homesteaded property. 12 Mills for board of Ed, 67 Mills total. [[Not completely sure the 18 operating mills is subtracted from the BOE when homesteaded, Don't have the paperwork in front of me, can't find on web)

The rest comes out of the State school fund from sales taxes. $7296 per student in 2015

**Detroitnerd** · August-20-15, 09:49 AM

How are you going to move poor people out of the city unless you destroy their neighborhood schools first? I know it's sad to lose all this architectural heritage, but we have to get these people out of there so it can be profitably redeveloped with high-income people. Sadly, the schools will have to go.

**ndavies** · August-20-15, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

How are you going to move poor people out of the city unless you destroy their neighborhood schools first? I know it's sad to lose all this architectural heritage, but we have to get these people out of there so it can be profitably redeveloped with high-income people. Sadly, the schools will have to go.

You have it completely backwards. There is no way you are going to get high income people into the city without a functioning school system. the buildings are complete side issue. If the schools functioned, Students would be moving into the district. The increase in students would require either new buildings or these buildings to be reused.

Fix the school system and this problem goes away.

**Gpwrangler** · August-20-15, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by ndavies

About 33% of a non-homesteaded property. 30 Mills for board of Ed, 85 mills total
about 18% of a homesteaded property. 12 Mills for board of Ed, 67 Mills total. [[Not completely sure the 18 operating mills is subtracted from the BOE when homesteaded, Don't have the paperwork in front of me, can't find on web)

The rest comes out of the State school fund from sales taxes. $7296 per student in 2015

If I paid taxes to support that system I'd let them take my home. Worked in those buildings off and on back in the day and they were fantastic. What a fucking disgrace leaving them open to scrappers to the point that demolition is the only option.

**Detroitnerd** · August-20-15, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by ndavies

You have it completely backwards. There is no way you are going to get high income people into the city without a functioning school system. the buildings are complete side issue. If the schools functioned, Students would be moving into the district. The increase in students would require either new buildings or these buildings to be reused.

Fix the school system and this problem goes away.

You're missing the joke. When your poorest residents don't have cars, getting rid of neighborhood schools is a great way to move them along to another neighborhood. Then, when they're gone, they'll be replaced by higher-earning couples with no children. Real estate values will rise, and there will be a developable parcel ready for a politically connected developer to come in and build profitable retail. Problem solved. [[Too bad about those poor folks, though.)