11/26/13 - On a 5-1 vote, the Brighton Board of Education Monday night approved an agreement with Robertson Brothers home builders for the purchase of the Lindbom School and property. The deal, if consummated, would bring in about a million dollars for the Brighton School District. The lone dissenting vote was cast by Board Trustee Nick Fiani. The other bidder was ACA Brighton Holding LLC, which wants to put a charter school on the site. Originally, the offer by ACA was for $1.45 million on a land contract, which would be $100,000 more than the Robertson offer, but with a longer payback and far less money up front. But the offer Monday night on the board table, after a meeting between district officials and ACA representatives, was an actual purchase offer. It was the same offer as the one by Robertson Brothers, and one in which ACA would have to obtain private financing. During the public comments portion of the meeting, several district teachers and other residents chastised the board for considering an offer by a company that would open a charter school, which they said would compete directly with the Brighton Schools and drain away tax dollars, since charter schools are public schools and receive the same state per-pupil aid that non-charter schools get. Superintendent Greg Gray recommended the board approve the Robertson Brothers offer, with the ACA offer as the âbackup offerâ should anything go wrong with the one approved, such as Robertson backing out. Robertson is proposing to clear the 10.48-acre Lindbom site on Brightonâs northwest side and put up 45 single-family homes. However in order to do that, the company would have to get approval from the city for a higher density than called for in the zoning ordinance for single-family homes. Gray tells WHMI heâll meet today with Robertson officials and realtors to get the purchase process rolling. (TT)
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