Birmingham Schools Administration Moving to Conference Center in Fall

is making plans to repurpose the this fall as the district finalizes the sale of the administrative building at 550 W. Merrill St.

On May 15, the Birmingham Board of Education , located at the corner of West Merrill and Southfield, to the Troy law firm Weber Olclese for $2.05 million.

Tuesday night, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Debbie Piesz said the district has decided to move its administrative offices into the Birmingham Conference Center, a move she said is cost-effective and meets the district's needs for more meeting space.

"We do want to have some meeting space, some common collegial space ... space where people can gather to have some professional work done," Piesz said.

Currently, the Birmingham Conference Center — located on the campus at the corner of 13 Mile and Evergreen — is managed by Sodexo Food Services. Under the proposed plan, the district's central offices would take over the space while also providing room for professional development and other meetings.

"I want to note what an excellent business partner Sodexo has been for the district in managing our conference center for the past 10 years," School Board President Susan Hill said. "It's not an easy thing for us to close that conference center."

Piesz said the board discussed several options for where to move the district's administrative offices at a June 12 study session, including the Doyle Center in Bloomfield Hills, the former bus facility at 2159 E. Lincoln Ave. and .

However, Piesz said the conference center meets the district's needs while also utilizing existing space. Repurposing the conference center was also the least expensive option, she said.

According to Piesz, the sale of the current administration building is still pending. The law firm has until Aug. 16 to finalize the sale, which includes the 0.89-acre parcel and the 21,577-square-foot building. The law firm planned to occupy 75 percent of the building and lease out the rest, Piesz said in May.

The sale comes at the end of a long road for the school district, which has been trying to sell the administration building since 2009. At that time, the district received offers of $2.5 million and $1.8 million while .

The district has been trying to sell its nonschool buildings for several years in an effort to reduce the district's physical footprint and generate revenue, outgoing Superintendent David Larson said.

Once the sale of the administration building is final, Piesz said the district will begin looking for construction companies for the renovation process.