Grand Rapids — The district is seeking the community’s help in determining what’s to become of two of its decommissioned school buildings: Stocking Elementary and Alexander Elementary.
Stocking Elementary was shuttered in 2024 as part of a district-wide reconsolidation effort associated with the “Reimagine GRPS With Us!” facilities master plan. Alexander Elementary was closed in 2010.
A series of community meetings, scheduled to take place next week, will give the public a chance to weigh in on the potential future of the two sites.
Meetings to discuss the Alexander site will take place at noon and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the Rev. Lyman S. Parks Administration Building at the district’s Franklin Campus, 1331 MLK Jr. St. SE.
Meetings focusing on Stocking are scheduled for noon and 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, in the Stocking Elementary gymnasium, 863 Seventh St. NW.
Snacks, refreshments and interpretation services will be provided during all four meetings.
“This is an opportunity for neighbors and community stakeholders to come together and provide some feedback to us on what types of developments, opportunities or parkland that they’d want to see on these two sites,” GRPS Communications Director Luke Stier told SNN.
GRPS is expected to seek requests for proposals for projects at Stocking and Alexander before the end of the month. Stier said feedback from the meetings will be used by the district to make sure proposals align with what the public wants to see.
The district shared a tentative timeline for the repurposing of the buildings, stating that RFPs will be distributed the week of Jan. 26, and site tours for interested parties will take place on Feb. 4.
The district plans to have the properties under contract by May 1.
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