ROMEO, Mich. (WXYZ) — We're continuing to follow a community-led push to preserve green space in the Village of Romeo.
The nonprofit Green Space Romeo said it has raised over $600,000 in donations and pledges to purchase the property from Romeo Community Schools.
However, the district will be looking for potential developers and others interested in buying the property.
Preservation is why Susan Kane, who's lived in Romeo for decades, has been supporting the grassroots effort to buy property from the district and turn it into a green space.
“We’ve lost so much of our open spaces out here. All of our farms and that have been bought up and subdivisions put in them and there’s not going to be any open land, so why not preserve what we have for the future?" Kane said.
We first told you about the group's plan in the fall when they were raising money to submit a bid. Their bid of $605,000 was rejected. A for sale sign is now up on the property, making it clear the process is open to anyone else who wants to buy.
Watch below: Major effort under way to transform old Romeo Middle School
“It’s a little discouraging of course, but from then we’ve just pulled ourselves up from our bootstraps and decided to get back to work," Elizabeth Miller said.
The nonprofit has gotten nearly 300 responses on their latest survey about how they should move forward. They have started a petition and are not giving up.
“We believe this is still possible but it’s not without hurdles. We will not be able to compete financially with the developers, but what we do have that they don’t have is that we have a community that really believes in this space," Miller said.
Community members not involved in the process are paying attention.
“I'm excited to see what they do with the schoo, where the school used to be," James Akers said. "To see about housing or a park or anything really. I think it would good for this place. I just want them to do something good with the space really."
“I think there are a lot of buildings around here and it is growing, so I think it should just be a space where people can go hang out in a park. A lot of kids are here. So I just think it should be left how it is," Sophia Romine said.
We reached out to the school board for an interview. They sent us a statement, saying in part, "The School District desires the proposed development to be neighborhood/family friendly and requires all Proposals to include a concept plan."
Official Statement of the BOE from the Dec. 9, 2024 Special Meeting
In the interest of transparency and keeping the community updated on the status of the vacant land at 297 Prospect - I offer this statement on behalf of our board. On May 16th, the Romeo Board of Education passed the revised resolution 91 in response to the request from the Green Space on Prospect Street (GSOPS group) to provide an extension through September 2024. The approved resolution indicated that we would provide additional time for their group to fundraise, formulate a property acquisition strategy and present a viable offer by November 1st. Additionally, the resolution authorized the Administration to move forward with a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the sale of the property starting in January 2025. We did not receive an offer by the November 1st deadline, however we are acknowledging receipt of an offer on December 3rd from Green Space Romeo. At this time, the Board will be following the resolution and any offers can be submitted during the RFP process. As a reminder to the public, the only requirement on the sale of the property is that it must be voted on by the Board of Education in a public meeting.- Romeo Community Schools Board of Education
What is the range we are looking for?
RFP's by nature do not list an asking price or provide a range. We have not set a purchase price or a range; rather, we are looking for proposals from interested developers/purchasers for consideration, consistent with prior practice of RCS and other Michigan school districts. As indicated in the RFP: “The School District desires the proposed development to be neighborhood/family friendly and requires all Proposals to include a concept plan proposed for the Site and elevations of the homes planned for the project Site. In the alternative, if an alternative recreational or other use is proposed for the project Site such Proposal must include a concept plan for that proposed use…. It is important to note that the highest price may not necessarily represent the Proposal that the School District determines in its sole discretion to be, in its totality, in the best interest of the School District…. Romeo Community Schools reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part."
Who can submit a proposal?
Anyone can submit a proposal. We are looking for proposals from interested developers/purchasers for consideration. As indicated in the RFP: “The School District desires the proposed development to be neighborhood/family friendly and requires all Proposals to include a concept plan proposed for the Site and elevations of the homes planned for the project Site. In the alternative, if an alternative recreational or other use is proposed for the project Site such Proposal must include a concept plan for that proposed use.”
All bids are due by March 14, and Green Space Romeo is preparing for the next board meeting on Monday and preparing to wear green in a show of support.
