No buyer, other people’s money, no problem

Michigan taxpayers may soon pay $40 million to demolish a recently renovated elementary school and build its replacement elsewhere, all to make room for a megasite that lacks a tenant.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation allocated $259 million in Strategic Site Readiness Program funds in 2022 for an economic group that aims to prepare a parcel of land for an industrial company yet to be determined, Michigan Capitol Confidential reported in April.

The megasite in Genesee County’s Mundy Township has no buyer, according to Don Ludwig, who lives nearby.

Officials want to tear down Morrish Elementary, which is one reason Ludwig is skeptical.

“New roof, new lab center, new parking lots, and there’s nothing wrong with this school,” Ludwig told CapCon in a phone interview. “It’s in really good shape for its age. Why are we going to build a new school with taxpayer dollars when we don’t have a buyer (for the megasite), don’t have a site plan, we don’t have an environmental study, and we don’t have an application?”

The township plans to build a new school on 32 acres near Morrish. On the remaining 70 acres envisioned for the project, Lurvey Construction will build 200 homes.

In 2018, Genesee County voters approved a $38 million bond proposal for Swartz Creek Community Schools. From that money, district officials spent $3.1 million to renovate Morrish, which would be demolished under current plans for the megasite.

The school serves about 450 students in grades kindergarten through 1st grade, Jim Kitchen, interim superintendent at Swartz Creek Community Schools, told CapCon in an email. 

“We’re currently gathering input from our community to inform our next steps. A survey was recently distributed to collect feedback, and we have a Finance & Operations Committee meeting today. In addition, a Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 17] at 6:30 PM, followed by a Board of Education meeting on Monday, July 21 at 6:00 PM. This is an exciting time for our district as we thoughtfully consider a $40 million proposal for Morrish Elementary.”

The Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance would buy Morrish Elementary School for $40 million, Tyler Rossmaessler, executive director of the alliance, told CapCon in a statement.

“The Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance is proposing to purchase Morrish Elementary for $40 million, which would allow the school district to build a new school building without raising taxes. We are confident this effort will create jobs and opportunities for young people, bringing much-needed revenue and investment to our region and boosting local small businesses, and enhancing our national security by bringing our supply chain back to the United States.”

The economic development group owns 1,194 acres, according to Rossmaessler, and it controls about 100 acres of additional land that make up the Advanced Manufacturing District of Genesee County.

“Our organization is committed to being a fiscally responsible steward of taxpayer dollars and working to deliver fair value for property owners,” Rossmaessler said. “Our work is focused on creating a site that will attract a new advanced manufacturing project to create thousands of new jobs and pump billions of dollars into Michigan’s economy. It also will bring back our supply chain to the United States, which will make our country less reliant on — and more competitive with — foreign countries like China. This will help reverse years of outsourcing and enhance our national security by improving our ability to compete with our economic adversaries, including China.”

Developers must complete the site preparation by May 22, 2028, as a condition of receiving taxpayer funds. That includes clearing the woods, buying another 100 properties, demolishing the school, and responding to an environmental complaint.

[Editor’s note: We updated this story on July 15 to add a quote from Swartz Creek Community Schools interim Superintendent Jim Kitchen.]