By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.- On Monday night the school board of trustees voted 7-0 to close the bidding process on the Brandon-Fletcher Intermediate school building and begin the negotiation process.
Two offers have been made for the building that met all of the necessary credentials to be considered. Both offers are for $750,000, one from Bridgewood church and one from BLB enterprises, represented by Bedrock Express owner Barry Bass.
The three properties have been on the market since March of this year. Plante Moran CRESA has been seeking buyers. Belle Ann has been closed since 2013, and Brandon Fletcher Intermediate school closed at the end of the 2016-17 school year. Both closed due to drops in enrollment, which has been dropping since 2011. In the recent audit, it was revealed that the student numbers have dropped 755 students since the 2010-11 school year.

The offer from BLB would include a $20,000 deposit and a 90 day due diligence period plus an additional 90 days for approvals if they have not yet been received. Closing would then occur within 10 days.
Bridgewood Church is a not for profit, though they offered the same amount with a $20,000 deposit, a due diligence period of 120 days and an additional 90 days after that. Their closing would also be 10 days. They stipulated that they would like the school to pay the closing costs, which according to Doug Smith from Plante Moran Cersa, would only be around $500.
Bridgewood also offered a land contract for $800,000 with $250,000 down at 5 percent interest over five years, with a balloon at the end of the five year period.
“There’s risks involved should the proposer run into some economic trouble,” said Smith, referring to the land contract option. “If you don’t need the cash immediately, you receive more over time.”
“I’m not a non profit, I have nothing against the church at all,” said Bass when he addressed the board, explaining that part of his property taxes would go back to the school. “The 5 percent interest or whatever, it doesn’t add up to the taxes for 50 years that go to the whole township and the county.”
BLB proposed an athletics complex, which would host sports programs all year long. Bridgewood church had proposed a similar idea with their addition of having a room for church service.