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January 23, 2001

A new roof for Building 50 might buy the time we need

Time waits for no one. And in northern Michigan, neither do snow, ice or freezing temperatures.
      All are continuing to take their toll on venerable and vulnerable Building 50, which has been sitting largely unprotected from the elements for more than a decade. Every drop of rain, every inch of snow and every day that go by do more damage.
      None of that is new, and neither is the position the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Board finds itself in today: No developer agreement in hand (the board's most recent development agreement, a two-year deal with the PM Group, recently lapsed); and no cash on hand to do the work necessary to prevent Building 50 from literally falling down.
      The board does have another option, one that could result in the first real roof-and-shingle progress seen on Building 50 since the state hospital closed its doors in 1989.
      With apparently no other options on the table - or the horizon, for that matter - and the clock ticking, it's an offer the board probably can't, or at least shouldn't, refuse.
      A local developer and builder, Ray Minervini, has for six months been negotiating with the Commons board for a one-year option on what is known as "Subarea 2," which would give Minervini development rights to Building 50 and some of the smaller cottages in the main part of the campus.
      What makes his proposal particularly appealing is his vow that if an extensive inspection of the nearly 400,000-square-foot building determines that renovation is feasible, he's prepared to immediately commit $1.5 million to put a new roof on Building 50 to prevent further damage to the structure.
      That work, he said, could even begin during the upcoming construction season, possibly within just a few months. And it wouldn't require any outlay from the Commons.
      Minervini, who is also a member of the Commons board, thinks it's critical that a new roof go on Building 50 before another winter passes and more damage is done. Time is moving on and, as he puts it, "Every tick is another brick."
      He's not the only one feeling that sense of urgency. Commons officials recently announced that the popular public tours of Building 50 have been discontinued out of liability concerns.
      If a roof does go on, Minervini says, the next step will be to develop a 20,000-square-foot section of the building into a mix of residential and commercial uses, what he calls a "neighborhood within a neighborhood."
      Minervini is asking for the Commons to match, dollar for dollar, construction costs for the first section after the roof goes on. After that, he says, the project would be on its own. While that's something the board says may or may not be possible, it is less of a commitment than the Commons has made to other would-be developers. If it helps make the ultimate goal of redeveloping Building 50 it's an investment well made.
      Ultimately, there seems little downside to Minervini's proposals. They seem practical, he promises immediate results and he has assembled a team of local professionals who seem to share his passion for saving a local icon.
      If Minervini's deal is approved but fails, the downside would simply be another failed development plan and a few more moths of ice, rain and ruin.
      Compared to the options - which appear to be no options at all - that's not much of a gamble.