Schools
Birmingham Schools' Administrative Building Back on the Market
A recent deal with the Troy law firm Weber Olclese fell through late last week, bringing the district back to square one.
is back on the market — or, at least one of its buildings is.
A buyer for the school district's administrative building on West Merrill backed out of a deal on Friday, according to Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Debbie Piesz.
In May, the district agreed to sell the administrative building to Troy law firm Weber Olclese for $2.05 million. The district has been looking to sell its non-school buildings to reduce its physical footprint and generate revenue.
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Piesz said the law firm backed out of the sale in a letter dated Aug. 10, though the district didn't learn of the change until Monday. The sale was currently in a due diligence period and Piesz said the law firm decided to back out after evaluating the building.
Birmingham's new superintendent Daniel Nerad said in light of recent events, the district will stop soliciting bids for renovating the , where the .
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"It is my judgement that we should halt the release of the bids at the new building," Nerad said.
Up for sale — yet again — is the 21,577-square-foot building at 550 W. Merrill, which sits on a 0.89-acre parcel of land near the intersection of Merrill and Southfield.
Birmingham has been attempting to sell its administrative building since 2009, but this is the second time in 2012 that a deal with a law firm has fallen apart. In March, a , while in the past, the the district has received offers of $2.5 million and $1.8 million.
Piesz said the district continues to market the building, and has received several interested callers already.
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