Powers Deal Off?

UPDATE: It's official. Deal off. Ron Fonger of The Flint Journal reports:

General Motors' Service and Parts Operations World Headquarters is staying put in the township, a decision that will cost Powers Catholic High School a potential new home but save hundreds of white collar jobs here.

A GM spokesman told The Flint Journal today that the company has made a final decision to remain in the 345,000-square-foot complex, and Powers said in a news release that officials there will continue to work toward finding a new home.

"This has been a very difficult six months. We believed we were going to be moving," said John McDonald, a GM spokesman. "Everybody had been working toward that goal."

An anonymous reader just posted this info on the plans for Powers High School to relocate to the General Motors SPO World Headquarters in Grand Blanc. Please note that this is unconfirmed:

It was just announced at Power's and at SPO that SPO will not be relocating so the deal is off. Sad day for Powers. When [Principal] Tom [Furnas] made the announcement at school today, I was told he sounded very sad. GM is committing to work with Powers on a solution.

Powers Confirms Move

Here's a letter sent out from Powers High School Principal Tom Furnas on February 5th about relocation:

Dear Powers Parents and Friends;

We are acutely aware that there are rumors in the community surrounding the potential relocation of our school and that there is a fair amount of angst in the parent community about lack of communication from us. What we have communicated formerly remains true: we promised that we would give all effort to finding a feasible project and that we would then do our level best to bring that project to fruition.

Sometimes in the past we have allowed ourselves to get carried away in possibilities and hopes and we want this time to be different. At this point I can tell you that Bishop Boyea has signed a purchase agreement for the GM-SPO facility located in Grand Blanc Township off of I-475. The Township amended its zoning ordinances to allow for a high school to operate at that site with a special use permit. Their officials have also expressed a strong desire to work with us.

With this concrete reality in front of us and a short time frame within which to work, the next task is to approach people in the community who have the potential to provide lead cash gifts (as well as pledges) to ensure that we can make it all come together. To that end, a number of receptions are being hosted throughout the community to which we are inviting major donors who can provide a substantial portion of the funds necessary to make the move possible. We have a March 1 deadline to obtain significant support to ensure our success. After this March 1 deadline, we will broaden and continue our capital campaign. We will need the support of our entire community to get to the finish line and look forward to working with you in the near future. If you know of people that should be included in this first, critical phase or would like to discuss your own gift possibilities, please contact either Bill Milne or me.

Please understand that the order in which we are soliciting gifts is recommended protocol. It is not our intention to either exclude or to offend anyone. We will need every individual gift of time, treasure, and talent. It is together that we will achieve our success.

With the hope of opening a new facility in January of 2011, we will need the support of everyone. Please continue to pray that God may guide us in His will and bless us in our efforts.

Sincerely,

Tom Furnas
Principal

Powers Catholic Closes in on Grand Blanc Location

As Flint Expatriates reported* back in September, Powers seems poised to relocate to Grand Blanc.

Ron Fonger of The Flint Journal reports:

Powers Catholic High School wants to move into General Motors' Service and Parts Operations World Headquarters by the end of this year and has asked the township for permission to get started.

Just think, Powers wanted Flint Central first, but the Flint school board wasn't interested.

Thanks to Duane "Perfect Attendance" Gilles for alerting me to this.

* Okay, so I really just repeated an unsubstantiated rumor back in September, but since it turned out to be true, let's call it "reporting."

UPDATE:

Is the Academy of Flint Interested?

My source tells me that Academy of Flint, a charter school on Coldwater Road, is in the running to purchase the current Powers location on Carpenter Road. Again, this is shameless rumor mongering, although with some insider knowledge.

Academy of Flint had a rezoning bid fall through in October that would have allowed the school to relocate, so they are interested in moving.

Holy Redeemer and Holy Rosary Schools to Close...Powers Finds a New Home?

Holy Redeemer School and, possibly, the future Powers Catholic High School? (Photo by Stuart Bauer/The Flint Journal)

Holy Redeemer and Holy Rosary Catholic schools will both close at the end of the academic year.

Linda Angelo of The Flint Journal reports:

Dwindling enrollment and finances, demographic shifts and the overall economy in the Flint area has had a devastating impact on Catholic schools.

"We certainly wished we could keep it open," Holy Redeemer Deacon Rod Amon said. "It's always a sad day when things have to be closed for any reason. Teachers are displaced and people have to find a new place to send their kids for their education. It can be very traumatic."

The fate of Powers High may be related to this story. Flint Expats has already discussed Powers' fundraising difficulties that contributed to the school's decision to scuttle plans to relocate to Grand Blanc. Now a source with some insider knowledge on the Diocese of Lansing tells me rumors are swirling that Powers will abandon its location on Carpenter Road and move into Holy Redeemer. It would liberate Powers from the north end and move them south, which is more prosperous. And Powers already plays their home football games at Redeemer, so it's a familiar spot. Again, this is just an unconfirmed rumor, but it doesn't seem far fetched.

UPDATE: Amy , Powers Class of 1994, writes:

I just got the Powers newsletter in email yesterday which contains a letter from Tom Furnas that they are in negotiations to sell the Carpenter Rd spot (who wants to buy that??) and that there are rumors that some things will be compromised at the possible new locations. He addresses those rumors and the only thing I can think of is that Holy Redeemer doesn't have tennis courts? And I don't remember them having a huge/fabulous basketball court. My only memory of it though was going to Holy Redeemer dances so it was dark! :)

Here is his letter:

Dear Powers Catholic Parent;

I last wrote to you two months ago to share what I could about our efforts to bring about the relocation of our school. In that letter I mentioned that we had received a written off er for our property and were pursuing specific options for a new location.

We have now entered a period of concrete negotiations with the potential buyer to ensure that we receive a fair value for our property and to guarantee that the sale would go through in a time frame that would allow us a proper transition to our new home. There are, of course, a number of details to be worked out and we won’t consider the deal done until the legal agreements are signed. We are represented by real estate attorneys selected by the Diocese of Lansing.

While we are still looking at the possibilities surrounding three specific options, we have given ourselves a deadline and will present a proposal to Bishop Boyea this winter. Our bishop is engaged in this process and is supportive of our efforts. Again, we will share with you our plans at the earliest possible time.

Among the rumors floating around, perhaps the most disconcerting is that a relocated Powers Catholic will have to give up many of its programs. One of Powers’ great strengths is our commitment to both academic and extracurricular programs that serve students of varying abilities and interests. A staggering percent of our student body is involved in our extracurricular program. This richness, along with a dedicated and professional staff , will continue to be a hallmark of Powers Catholic. I believe I speak for the board and the faculty when I say that we would stay at our current campus before we would compromise our programs.

Catholic schools throughout Michigan are facing challenges because of the hard economic times in which we find ourselves. In terms of student enrollment, Powers remains the largest high school in the Diocese of Lansing and is in the top quartile of all Catholic high schools in the state. As a Class B high school, our enrollment is also in the top one-half of all schools in the state. Tough times do not last but Powers Catholic will.

Abide in faith, hope, and love.

Sincerely in Christ,
Thomas Furnas
Principal

Like Amy, I'm curious who would buy such a large block of land on Carpenter Road. And I'm a little concerned about the "Tough times do not last but Powers Catholic will" line. I mean I hope it's true, but wasn't that the semi-official Flint slogan in the eighties? We saw how well that turned out. It might have some bad karma associated with it.