The election has not even taken place and some members of the public are already pushing to develop the Lakeshore Middle School property. Although Scott Grimes says the property will be retained for use by the school district, there is no binding obligation to follow through on that promise. During the October 18, 2023, meeting of the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power (BLP), one local resident, concerned about electricity, gave the following public comment. (1:11:40)
“I'd like to talk a little bit about the future. Hearing about the 10% loss in electricity sales is not good news. One thing that comes to mind is some of the latest news stories out of GHAPS; Grand Haven Public Schools. [] Scott Grimes said, if the bond issue passes and we get a new school, all they're going to do is hold on to that land. I think it's the duty of the community, the duty of this board, to do some follow up on that if it passes; to immediately get some development plans going. That's a whole lot of acreage. There's a big potential for new energy. We can see heat pumps etc; [] I would like to see the board take some action on that and talk with the Grand Haven Public Schools.”
The City of Grand Haven appears to have a lack of revenue coming in. This will likely create a lot of political pressure from city leaders to develop the Lakeshore Middle School property. With no binding agreement, how can the public trust district officials to stay true to their promise of retaining the Lakeshore Middle School property for district use? The district is already planning to demolish the building and prepare the site for future use. This gives the appearance they are prepping the site for sale.
Looking at the big picture, how do you envision the future of Grand Haven? Grand Haven has always been a family-friendly town that welcomes visitors, but today it seems that city planning is catering to visitors and policies seem to be pushing families out of town. Many homes in the downtown area that used to be owned by residents are now rented out during the summer months. Restaurants where local families could at one time enjoy a meal now seem to have morphed into outdoor drinking establishments. Lakeshore Middle School, a focal point of the community, may soon be torn down, pushing additional family activities further out of town. There has been a lack of community conversations regarding this topic. According to the King Media failed bond survey, many residents want the building to stay. The community deserves a voice in this discussion.
Moving Lakeshore Middle School out of town will make the City of Grand Haven a little less family friendly, and there is no current plan for the property other than demolishing the current building. I realize that growth requires hard decisions to be made, but do you want to sell one more piece of Grand Haven?