KEEGO HARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — The demolition process for Roosevelt Elementary School officially began this week, marking the beginning of the end for the more than 100-year-old building in Keego Harbor.
Watch Carli Petrus's video report:
Construction fences and danger signs now surround the historic school as the West Bloomfield School District moves forward with plans that have divided the community for years.
PREVIOUS STORY: Roosevelt school anti-demolition supporters, district await court ruling
Christian Sonneville has made it his personal mission to stop the Roosevelt Elementary demolition. His concerns stem from potential asbestos exposure affecting students and staff.
"My grandson actually attended the school while the collapse happened in 2022," Sonneville said. "My concern is my grandson, his school, his classmates, including the teachers and the staff, may have been exposed to breathing asbestos fibers for potentially years."
As part of the demolition preparation, the district has begun asbestos abatement. However, Sonneville argues the process is insufficient and that demolition should be paused until further testing is completed.
"The problem is, if the demolition starts and they find that the roof contains asbestos, they will have to stop it," Sonneville said. "Because if they continue and abate, for example, the entire interior, there comes a point then that the demolition is going to start, and if then only they start checking the roof and they find out that the roof is asbestos, you cannot go back."
RAW VIDEO: Chopper 7 over the former Roosevelt Elementary School in Keego Harbor
Community member David Emerling has also been vocal about the environmental risks a demolition poses.
"If they don't abate it properly, all of that gets into our air, our soil, and the water, and right now the abatement plan is not correct and we've FOIA'd things to prove that," Emerling said.
Emerling remains hopeful the building can still be saved and has suggested the school district sell the building for community use.
"$2.5 million offer to the school district was turned down for no apparent reason to make it into mixed use," Emerling said. "This step isn't the end of the world because a company, a developer, can still take the building that's abated and turn it into a functional building."
A spokesperson for the West Bloomfield School District tells us in a statement:
The District has followed all applicable guidelines and regulations. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has been on-site multiple times. Our asbestos abatement notification was reviewed and evaluated by EGLE, and their oversight continues throughout the project. All required pre-abatement and pre-demolition testing has been completed in accordance with state and federal guidelines, and we are following all regulations and requirements associated with that permit to ensure compliance and safety. Safety is our number one priority.
We respect that a small group of community members continues to be disappointed in the demolition decision. However, the building is no longer viable for student learning and does not meet the standards required to provide a safe and effective educational environment for our students. The District remains committed to ensuring that all facilities meet current health, safety, and learning needs.
The district did not comment on whether the building is viable for community use.
Meanwhile, the mother of two, Angelica Arens, said after the building closed, her daughters had to be sent to a different school.
"It's more frustration than concern at this point," Arens said.
The district has not provided a timeline for when the actual demolition will begin.
—————————————————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
