Saline Schools May Sell Woodland Drive Property

The district might move $550,000 closer to paying back money it owes to its rainy day fund.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Saline Board of Education voted 7-0 to authorize Superintendent Scot Graden to sign a purchase agreement that would sell nearly seven acres of grassy land at Woodland Drive and Maple Road to Senior Cares Properties, LLC, for $550,000.

The sale is contingent on zoning, site plan approval, an environmental assessment, soil conditions, utilities, permits and licenses and a market study.

Earlier this year, Senior Care Properties, LLC, to purchase 6.7 acres of land at 600 N. Maple Rd. for $545,000. The company planned to build a $12.5 million, 100-unit assisted living and memory care center. The deal fell through because peat moss found on the site would have added too much to the cost of construction, according to Saline City Manager Todd Campbell.

The grassy area, currently used by the Saline Area Soccer Association, is directly across the street from the United Auto Workers hall.

Graden said he didn’t believe the development would have a negative impact on the surrounding school campus that features , the Weber-Blaess One Room School House, and , and

Trustee David Friese called the potential development a win-win for the district and the city.

“We can use these funds to build our fund balance back up. We get revenue we need and we put the property on the tax rolls,” he said.

Trustee Lisa Slawson asked if the money would go back to the fund balance. The district changed its policy to draw its fund balance below five percent to balance its budget last year. But, according to the new policy, the district must have a plan to restore that money.

“As of now, we don’t have a plan to pay back the fund balance,” Slawson said.

Graden said that the funds would be undesignated and that he would recommend that they be used to replenish the fund balance.

Answering a question from Trustee Craig Hoeft, Graden said the district had no plans to develop the site for school district use. 

Trustee Todd Carter said an assisted living center makes sense for the property because of its proximity to the .

The district would also be open to selling the shuttered Houghton Elementary School.