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School Closing Information

Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners expected to approve demolition of vacant elementary school

The old Cheney Elementary School.
Kevin Meerschaert
/
89.1 WEMU
The old Cheney Elementary School.

After years of false starts, Washtenaw County is closing in on building a new Community and Recreation Center on the site of the old Cheney Elementary School.

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote tonight to approve the purchase of the over 26-acre Cheney Elementary site from Ypsilanti Community Schools. The school that straddles Superior and Ypsilanti Townships will be razed for the center to serve a region of the county that has found it difficult to find such services.

Board Chair Justin Hodge says it's been a long trek to get the deal done.

“We’re hoping to use the site because it is so large as a hub for county services to particularly provide resources and services to the community there.”

The $30 million project is being funded through federal, state and local sources. The school built in the late 60’s was closed in 2012 and has sat vacant since.

It’s hoped the construction of The East Washtenaw Community and Recreation Center can begin later this year.

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News Reporter and Host Kevin Meerschaert was a student reporter at WEMU in the early 90s. After another 30 years in the public radio business and stops in Indiana, Maryland, Florida, and New Mexico, Kevin is back to where it all began.
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