School district prepares to tear down Haggerty Elementary School

At the April 13 meeting of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education, the board approved putting up a fence that is part permanent and part temporary as the district moves forward in the demolition of Haggerty Elementary School.
It approved the base bid of $79,854 from RMD Holdings, LTD, of Richmond, MI, doing business as Nationwide Construction Group, low bidder of three. RMD was also low bidder for two additional proposed alternates bringing the total project to $98,619.
Base bid from Davenport Brothers Construction was $170,850 and Future Fence Company was $102,430.
Rob Kakoczki of Plante Moran Realpoint said they will start installing the fence the week of April 27 and begin work on abatement and demolition the first week in May.
Kakoczki said as part of the new Operations Building site, they identified the need to secure the property in advance of abatement and demolition.
Permanent fencing will be installed in select areas where it will not be impacted by construction, while temporary fencing will be used around the primary construction zones to maintain safety and site security, he said.
He said once site work is complete and the building is enclosed, temporary fencing will be removed and the remaining permanent fencing will be installed.
The cost of that new permanent fencing will be a part of a new contract for construction.
The board also was presented with the information on Haggerty School hazardous materials abatement and demolition of the building.
Kakoczki said there were 16 bids for the work and the team reviewing the bids recommended Thomas Trucking Services, for both abatement and demolition. Thomas was low bidder on both, as well as an alternative.
Kakoczki said there is a tunnel under the school for pipes and it is known to contain asbestos. He said the plan is to demolish the school and then get into the tunnels for abatement. He said after abatement, they plan to remove the first three inches of soil and take it to a hazardous waste landfill, and if it is still contaminated, they will take off another three inches and then another three inches after that, if necessary.
He said the removal of the soil would cost $25,000 for each three inches, for a total of $75,000 if needed.
He said it is expected to take a month for abatement and the demolition would be in June.
The school board will vote on this at its next meeting.
Reg Ion, grandfather of a student, tried to ask questions from the audience during the presentation but School Supt. Pete Kudlak cut him off and said he had to fill out a card before he could speak under public comment.
Ion took a card to the board table and later he was allowed to comment.
Ion, who retired from the district as head custodian, said abatement and demolition shouldn’t be from the same firm because that might lead to problems. Also, he said, the district had prepared a book for each school showing what hazardous materials are in the buildings. The district should look at the book for Haggerty, he said.
Ion stressed, “Normally, they don’t do it right,” he said of hazardous waste removal.
Ion also asked what is in the building and anything inside should be put up for auction or sale to the taxpayers. He said that when Belleville High School was demolished, people saw desks and chairs and other school equipment shoved into dumpsters. He said that shouldn’t happen with Haggerty School and the items should be offered to the taxpayers.
Supt. Kudlak’s answer to Ion was, “I’ll give you a call.”
In other business at the 55-minute meeting on April 13 the board:
• Honored coaches and a few students in the BHS winter sports program;
• Approved sale of the 2026 School Building and Site Bonds, series 1, approved by voters, to R. Seelaus & Co., LLC, which was one of nine bidders. Seelaus offered a purchase price of $24,999,224.81, the par value of the bonds, plus an original issue premium of $662,200.70, less the Underwriter’s discount of $97,941.24, less the original discount of $240,034.65. The bonds shall be issued at $24,675,000 and put into the capital projects fund. Now the bond transaction will go to its closing;
• Approved spending $254,830 from the ’26-’27 Sinking Funds for 850 student Chromebooks from Shei Computing. These Chromebooks are for incoming fifth graders at Owen Intermediate School and incoming freshmen at Belleville High School. Supt Kudlak said they got $100 off each Chromebook if they acted before a certain date;
• Received information on the BHS HS4 Security Access Control project that will be voted on at the next board meeting. Total cost is $1,198,839. Kakoczki said that there were only two bids, one for installation by Laforce at $1,790.979 and one from Osier Electric at $1,875 for the electrical hookups. This will be completed from May through August and it is part of the bond program already in the budget;
• Approved the retirements of Owen special education teacher Debbie Gerst after 21 years of service; BHS math teacher Rachel Jager after 26 years; Savage teacher/media specialist Pamela Bradley after 28 years; and Edgemont teacher/art teacher Kathleen Hiner after three years;
• Approved the resignations of BHS history teacher Patrick Burrage after three years of service and Early Childhood Center teacher Molly Stevens after less than a year;
• Approved the employment of speech pathologist Courtney Schweers at Tyler Elemetnary School as of May 11;
• Approved the terminations of McBride food service worker LaLexus Woodard-Rumbley after 1.5 years of service and Rawsonville paraprofessional Tonya Charlesworth after three years of service;
• Approved the retirement of BHS food service worker Yevonne Hochbaum after 10 years of service and the resignations of BHS paraprofessional Mary Leake after seven years, building and grounds worker Harley Severin after eight years, and Rawsonville student support worker Willie Allen after two years;
• Approved the employment of buildings and grounds custodians Liberty Bennett and Krista Morelia, McBride secretary-221 day Damita Brown, and McBride food service worker Daniel Colquitt; and
• Heard parent Angela Mears remind everyone of the April 22, 10 a.m. to midnight, fundraising day at Hungry Howie’s Pizza, 10784 Belleville Rd., to benefit the Class of 2026’s party after graduation. You need to mention you are supporting this fund raiser.