Plans moving forward for school building on Conant

Hamtramck Public Schools plans to expand into the former social security building on Conant and Holbrook. Administrative staff will be housed here. The building was purchased by the district three years ago.

By Charles Sercombe
Back in 2021, Hamtramck Public School District Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed had big plans for two buildings the district bought.
One of the buildings was the former social security office on Conant at Holbrook, and the other was the former People’s Community Services on Jos. Campau.
Together, they cost the district over $1.9 million, with an estimated additional $5 million projected as needed to renovate them.
“The purchase of these local properties through the district’s general operating fund, in tandem with other improvements we are proposing across Hamtramck Public Schools, brings a sense of renewed hope for the future of our district, and is another step toward giving our students all of the tools they need to succeed,” said Ahmed at the time.
She added: “By using existing funds, the district will be able to add much-needed learning space at no additional cost to taxpayers. It’s both a good investment and a strong opportunity for our district.”
The plan called for converting the Conant building into classrooms and moving Dickinson West Elementary School there.
But then, plans fell apart.
Unbeknownst to the district, a dentist claimed he had an active lease to remain in a portion of the building – a claim that the district challenged in court, and which then took until just recently to resolve.
Sometime after that, Ahmed’s relationship with the school board fell apart, although she remains a paid employee to this day, if no longer in charge of day-to-day operations.
Her status has not been fully explained by the district. In the meantime, Interim Superintendent James Larson-Shidler is now in charge.
Turn the page, and a number of parents of Dickinson West students protested the plan to move their kids across town to the Conant building – a location that would prevent parents from being able to walk their kids to school because of the distance.
And now there’s a new plan.
At this past week’s monthly school board meeting, Interim Superintendent Shidler said the Conant building will soon house staff from Pupil Services, Special ED, Curriculum and Technology.
“We’ve been working on the building,” Shidler said. “It’s the first time most people had seen it.”
Shidler said there will be ongoing renovations of the building, to be done in phases.
And there was an issue of water flow that will soon be repaired.
As for the future of the building on Jos. Campau that was purchased, it has not yet been made known.
Down the road, there will also likely be renovations made to other school buildings, Shidler said.
A review will be conducted of the current condition of all the district’s buildings, many of which have had aging issues. Shidler’s proposal is to make the needed upgrades in phases over 10 years.
At Hamtramck High School, there is a major problem with plumbing in the building’s restrooms on the second and first floor.
During the covid pandemic, district buildings were closed, and students were taught, via internet, at home.
One thing the school administration failed to do at that time is to make sure the building’s water system was flushed to make sure pipes didn’t freeze up.
Guess what?
The pipes did freeze up, and now have caused a leakage problem.
“We should have been going in there weekly, running the water, just making sure water flow was going,” Shidler said.
The second floor bathrooms are leaking directly down to the first floor bathrooms.
Shidler said it’s a “health and safety issue that we’re really looking at now.”
He added that he hopes to have a plan to remedy the situation by February or March, and then to make repairs during summer break.
Posted Nov. 15, 2024