COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – While a new fourth and fifth grade building is under construction on Western Avenue in Coldwater, the Coldwater Community School district owns a dilapidated building at 95 South Fremont Street that has not been used for years, and some nearby residents feel the building should be torn down. The district has no plans for demolition at this time.
A small fire which caused about $500 worth of damage at the former Franklin Learning Center June 12 filled the building with smoke. It was quickly put out by the Coldwater Fire Department.
Fire Marshall Steve Trall says the fire remains under investigation. He said at the time they found some clothes and a type of rubber material.
Neighbors have complained about homeless people using the building.
Leila Ash told the Coldwater Board of Education last week there are more vandalism and other incidents at the building.
She hopes the board makes a decision about the property in the not too distant future.
Coldwater Mayor candidate and nearby resident Dan Corwin has written about numerous incidents at the abandoned building on social media and has criticized school officials for not doing anything about the property.
The school district tried to sell the property to the NRP Group of the Cleveland, Ohio area, who wanted to buy the property for $425,000 in order to build a proposed apartment complex of nearly 70 units. But plans fell through and the developers withdrew from the project after numerous concerns were raised from nearby Fourth Ward residents, such as increased traffic and lighting. Some also felt an apartment complex would not blend in with the many historic homes along West Pearl.
Superintendent Terry Boguth says police do evening checks on the property. She said recently the price tag to tear down the building was about $250,000. Boguth added they did a joint application about a year ago with the City of Coldwater to see if they could get a grant to pay for the teardown, but the application was unsuccessful.
