Grambau Center committee formed to explore future of historic building
It has stood in the heart of Rogers City for longer than most residents can recall, and it has always been a representation of education to anyone who once walked its halls as a student, or simply admired its solid appearance from afar. Now, the future of the original Rogers City High School finds itself in the hands of the community it has served for 80 years, as the Grambau Center Exploratory Committee forms with the hope of breathing new life into an old building.
THE UNDERTAKING began after Presque Isle County Development Commission executive director, Bill Valentine, attended a Rogers City School Board meeting and learned of the school district?s inability to further maintain the building due to financial shortages and the cost of building upkeep. Currently, the Grambau Center is used for RCAS administrative offices, as well as Alpena Community College classes. Space is rented out for preschool purposes, and various athletic groups use the gymnasium for practices. The Rogers City Middle School classes were held within the Grambau Center until the 2003-04 school year when they were moved up to the high school facilities. Since that time, not many students have walked the halls of what was once known as the Rogers City High School. According to local historian and Presque Isle County Historical Museum curator, Mark Thompson, the Grambau Center was originally built in 1927 as RCHS. It joined forces with the ?Old Yellow School,? and the old high school, which was located on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Fifth Street. Thompson said the Grambau Center did not receive its current name until Harry Grambau retired from RCHS as superintendent. The building has historically operated as a school, and up until 1964 it was the area high school. Valentine believes the Grambau Center is a sound structure with great potential, and it would be safe to say the majority of the surrounding community would agree with him.
?IT WOULDN?T take a whole lot to bring the building up to modern standards,? said Valentine. ?The heating system is one aspect?that would need to be upgraded.? Valentine said the Grambau Center recently had new windows installed, as well as roof work completed. ?One room has been remodeled for computer utilization, and this could be extended and broadened,? said Valentine. ?We would really like to see ACC establish a satellite campus here, and the Grambau Center would be a great location. It would be possible for an education facility to draw people to the community, and make it easier for students to attend college courses, rather than drive 40 minutes.? The idea for an educational facility is only one option for the future of the historic building. It is the purpose of the newly formed Grambau Center Exploratory Committee (GCEC) to brainstorm ideas, research possibilities, and present those findings to the general public during a future open forum, where the community will have the opportunity to offer suggestions, comments, and lend support to the worthy cause of keeping the Grambau Center building at the heart of Rogers City.
?We are an exploratory committee throwing ideas out there and then really taking a look at all of them,? said Valentine. ?Ideally, it would be great to find a good anchor tenant who could contribute to the operation of the facility, while we establish funding and look at bonds.?
ANOTHER OPTION for the Grambau Center would be to establish it as a business incubator, which Valentine said is an economic development tool where new businesses are provided space to get started. ?The idea is to give help with getting new businesses started, and then within a specified amount of time, the business will move out and on its own,? said Valentine. Another possible use for the building would be to move some of the county offices into the Grambau Center. Currently, these offices are housed in the Presque Isle County Courthouse building where space is very limited. ?They are really stretched for space in the courthouse,? said Valentine. ?People are squeezed into every nook and cranny.? Valentine also mentioned how the gymnasium in the Grambau Center is in good condition, which could lead to other possibilities regarding the fut
?There is a very nice stage area in the gymnasium,? said Valentine. ?It could be an excellent community theater area.? Along those same lines, the building could also be used to help alleviate space problems at both local museums ? The Presque Isle County Historical Museum and the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum. Both museums are short on space while artifacts and historical archives keep coming in. Other options for the building include demolition and selling of the property, or creating assisted living quarters. The property could also be sold to developers to build apartment housing.
VALENTINE SAID the community-use aspect could put the Grambau Center in line for different grants available at both the state and government levels. Other grants might be available due to some Brownfield issues, such as lead paint and asbestos. Valentine said a new area where grants are available is the ?blighted area? category. ?The GCEC will serve as panelists during the (not yet planned) community forum,? said Valentine. ?We need to look at all of the options the community thinks are most viable. The GCEC will have a couple of brainstorming sessions in order to put together some materials and a presentation, and then we will organize the community forum.? The thirteen members of the GCEC are Bill Valentine, Anne Belanger, David Nadolsky, Del Conley, Don Schaedig, Gary Nowak, Jane Kroll, Mark Slown, Mark Thompson, Paul Mancine, Tom Sobeck, Art Getzinger, and Mike Marx.