Brighton School Board Agrees to Move Forward with Lindbom Negotiations

With a 7-0 vote, the Brighton School board approved a motion Monday night giving Superintendent Greg Gray the authority to start negotiations for a final agreement to sell the vacant Lindbom Elementary School to a residential developer.

According to the Press & Argus, Bloomfield Hills-based Robertson Brothers Homes is proposing to demolish the school and put up single-family homes.

While the $1.35 million offer was lower than the original agreed upon $1.5 asking price, Gray said during the meeting he felt "fully confident with where the offer was going."

School board vice president Bill Anderson agreed with Gray stating that he saw many positives from the potential deal including bringing more family housing within walking distance to the downtown area.

However, some discussion took place among the board regarding contract parameters, specifically a $25,000 refundable deposit and nine month length of time for due diligence.

School board trustee John Conley also stated he would be happier with a selling price of $1.45 million rather than the $1.35 million.

A recent budget projection showed the district breaking even in 2013-2014 and eliminating its deficit, according to the Press & Argus story.

"This (Lindbom sale) will help us to get close to being in the black, but I wouldn't say this is a guarantee," Gray said during the meeting. "Budgets can vary up to 2 percent and 2 percent in our budget is a million, million half dollars. ...This pushes us very close, but we don't know if it will be exactly there."

Gray said the budget would become "more clear" in January and that all profit from the sale of Lindbom would go toward the legacy debt.