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Flint Center proposes 2‑story after‑school 'cube' at DTM; board presses for ownership guarantees and MOU
Summary
The Flint Center for Educational Excellence pitched converting a vacant DTM campus building into a two‑story, 7,500‑sq‑ft after‑school facility at a cost of about $4.3 million. Board members supported reuse but pressed for guarantees that Flint Community Schools retain enrollment priority and for legal steps — including a city survey and a memorandum of understanding — before any sale, since grant funding requires property acquisition and a June decision to keep the project on schedule.
The Flint Center for Educational Excellence asked the Flint Board of Education to approve a plan to convert a long‑idle brick family resource building on the DTM campus into a two‑story, approximately 7,500‑square‑foot after‑school facility that would add roughly 300 after‑school slots and a splash pad. Dr. Janelle Amy, who presented the plan, said the adaptive‑reuse project would cost about $4.3 million: roughly $2.4 million to renovate the existing building, about $1.3 million for the second‑floor addition and about $500,000 for site improvements.
The proposal, which the presenter described as modeled on earlier work at Brownell and Holmes campuses, would attach a new parcel to the DTM site and include a parking plan and an easement to Cottage Grove to route traffic away from the DTM parking lot. “We have an exciting opportunity that we'd like to present, to the board of education today to take some of the lessons learned from the Brownell Holmes campus and potentially, replicate at, Educare and DTM,” Dr. Amy said.
Why it matters: the project is largely grant‑funded but requires the applicant to hold site control. Dr. Amy told the board the Center has secured roughly $3.5 million in municipal support grant funding and has requested an additional $1 million in a legislative appropriation for FY27; she said the grant language limits the project to the acquisition and rehabilitation of a former government or commercial facility, and that the funds must be used by 2028. That funding condition—together with the district’s interest in keeping community access and identity—shaped much of the trustees’ line of questioning.
Several trustees said they support removing an abandoned and potentially unsafe building but urged that the district retain meaningful rights. Trustee Rutherford said she would prefer the property remain part of Flint Community Schools or be subject to a long‑term lease and that any transfer should include “first dibs” for Flint students. The presenter said enrollment policy for the Center’s programs gives first priority to students enrolled at the host school but that neighborhood families may still apply; she added that a memorandum of understanding could formally protect district priorities.
Legal and timing considerations: the board’s attorney noted that selling a parcel requires a city‑approved land division and survey and that those approvals can delay transfer. The presenter said the Center has completed a survey and corresponded with the city on a legal description but reiterated that the grant requires acquisition. “Your funding is contingent upon actually owning the property,” the attorney said; Dr. Amy confirmed the project timeline would keep construction starting this fall if the board agrees and would aim for an opening the following fall.
What’s next: trustees asked staff and the district attorney to draft a memorandum of understanding that would preserve district access, enrollment priority and other safeguards if the board supports a sale. Board members signaled a desire to decide in June to meet grant deadlines but also asked for a written agreement that protects Flint Community Schools’ use and naming recognition. The district did not take a binding vote on a sale at the meeting; the board asked administration to return with an MOU and the legal steps needed to move forward.
Sources: presentation and Q&A with Dr. Janelle Amy and board discussion at the Flint Board of Education special meeting. The Flint Center reported the $4.3 million project estimate, $3.5 million in secured municipal support grant funds, and a request for an additional $1 million in legislative funding for FY27.
