Important Announcement About Property Acquisition

Dear Berkley Schools Community,

Today I am sharing an update about a purchase the Board of Education has agreed to that will impact our Adult Transition, Athletics and Robotics programs.

Last night, the Berkley Schools Board of Education approved a purchase agreement for Cana Lutheran Church located at 2119 Catalpa, adjacent to the Berkley High School campus, for the purpose of housing both the Adult Transition Program and BHS Robotics program. The church will be purchased and renovated using Sinking Fund dollars. Below are details of each program’s plans.

Adult Transition Program (ATP)

The Berkley Adult Transition Program serves students ages 18-26 that continue to receive specialized instruction, support & services through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Berkley’s ATP program was housed for years in the CASA building in Oak Park, a Ferndale Schools building. In summer 2023, the ATP program along with CASA moved to the NOVA building in Oak Park, an Oak Park Schools building, due to programming changes in Ferndale. While we are grateful for the space at NOVA, ATP’s goal was to have a permanent home inside of the Berkley Schools boundaries. After visiting many locations in 2023, the opportunity to purchase Cana presented itself. This building has many features to offer ATP including a dedicated level just for ATP with a large commercial kitchen, easy access to downtown Berkley and job sites and in a familiar location next to BHS.

Robotics - Da Bears, Team 247

The original plan for the 2023 Bond dollars was to build the robotics build room and practice room as part of the new fieldhouse across from Berkley High School. While we knew this would be an exciting new space for Robotics, we still needed to secure a temporary location in order for Robotics to continue their seasons prior to construction being completed. The opportunity to discuss the Cana purchase presented itself last fall while we were seeking a temporary location. Both District and BHS administration met with the Robotics coach prior to finalizing the Cana purchase to make sure the square footage, layout and ceiling height fit the needs of the program. We believe after meeting with our construction team and the coach that the Cana location will be a wonderful fit for Team 247.

Athletics

Now that the Robotics program will not be attached to the new fieldhouse (now known as the BEAR - Berkley Education, Athletics and Recreation Center), it has opened up spaces to have additional usage. The design teams are working to plan the new spaces to maximize opportunities and impact for our students. As plans get finalized, they’ll be shared in the monthly Bond Updates posted in the Berkley Beat.

Timeline

Now that we have a signed purchase agreement we can finalize plans and timelines for construction. The timeline for construction is roughly as follows: Construction on the area dedicated for the Robotics program will begin as soon as we close on the property. Robotics is scheduled to move in by December 2024 because their current location will be demolished. (Robotics currently is housed in the maintenance building across from BHS, which is slated for demo in January/February 2025.) While the Robotics construction is taking place, design teams will meet to plan the work needed for ATP. The goal is to move ATP in by January 2026.

Lease to Cana

In addition to the Berkley programming, we also agreed to allow Cana’s congregation to continue to use a portion of the building for 18 months. Their offices and common space will be separate from all Berkley Schools programming. They will have a separate entrance and the inside of the building will be separated as well through wall placement. Their lease will end in 18 months, and at that time the District will gain full use of the building. All religious items and decorations will be removed from the Berkley Schools space prior to students and staff taking occupancy.

We know this is a change from what was originally proposed with the Bond, but we did not want to miss the opportunity to create a permanent home for both Adult Transition and Robotics, expand the improvements and upgrades for our athletics programs and acquire new property for the District.

As always, I am grateful for our school community and to be a part of the community. 

Sincerely,

Scott Francis
Superintendent
Berkley Schools