Cooley School, vacant since 2010, with scaffolding as masonry, window and roof work moves forward for conversion to apartments.
Cadillac, Michigan, August 31, 2025
The Cadillac City Council will consider a staff recommendation to hire Pinnacle Construction Group as construction manager for Blight Elimination Program (BEP)–funded work on the long‑vacant Cooley School. The $676,127 BEP grant will cover masonry, window and roof scopes that protect the building’s structure as it is converted into 23 apartments, at least 12 of which will be reserved for households at or below 120% AMI. City staff recommend Pinnacle as the single manager for BEP scopes with no mark‑up; Garrett Family Community Partners will pay contractor invoices up front and be reimbursed after completion.
Lead: The city council will consider on Tuesday whether to hire Pinnacle Construction Group, Inc. to manage the portions of the historic Cooley School conversion that are paid for with a $676,127 Blight Elimination Program (BEP) grant. The project plans call for 23 apartments, with at least 12 units reserved for income‑qualified households at or below 120% of area median income (AMI).
The city is proposing to waive competitive bidding and award the BEP construction management contract to Pinnacle Construction Group, Inc., a Grand Rapids firm. Under the proposed arrangement, contractor invoices will be paid up front by the purchaser/developer entity and then reconciled with BEP grant funds at the close of BEP‑covered work. Pinnacle will compile and approve all invoices before they are sent to the purchaser/developer, with copies provided to the city for oversight. At the end of BEP‑associated construction activities, the city will transfer the BEP grant funds to the purchaser/developer.
City council documents identify Garrett Family Community Partners, a Michigan not‑for‑profit based in Grand Rapids, as the purchaser/developer entity with an agreement through DKD Development to acquire and redevelop the Cooley School building from the local public school district. The state grant is administered through the State Land Bank Authority.
The BEP grant comes with stipulations requiring city oversight and construction management for the funded scopes. City staff say hiring Pinnacle to manage the BEP work minimizes risk to the city and streamlines contract administration across the larger redevelopment effort.
The Cadillac City Council will consider the Pinnacle contract at its regular meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Cadillac Municipal Complex, located at 200 North Lake St. Council will also consider setting a public hearing for Sept. 15 on a proposal to allow short‑term rentals to operate in the B‑3 zoning district via special use permit.
The Cooley School building was constructed in 1923 and served as a school until it closed in 2010. The long‑vacant property has been the subject of redevelopment planning for several years. In 2022 the building and an annex were purchased for $100,000. In mid‑2023 the city rezoned the site from single‑family to multi‑family, established an obsolete property rehabilitation district, and approved a brownfield redevelopment plan to pursue state grants and tax increment financing to address environmental cleanup and redevelopment costs.
Earlier project plans ranged from about 14 units split between the original building and annex to the current concept of 23 apartments targeted at the “missing middle” — working households and young professionals. Public comment during prior hearings included opposition from residents concerned about scale and cost. The overall redevelopment has been publicly estimated at roughly $4.7 million, with environmental assessments and asbestos abatement identified as necessary steps before and during renovation.
The $676,127 BEP grant is intended to pay for specific exterior building rehabilitation tasks that reduce blight and protect the community investment: masonry, windows and roof. Using those state grant funds alongside local financing tools such as brownfield tax increment financing and the obsolete property rehabilitation incentives aims to keep as many units as possible affordable and to make the project financially viable.
City staff emphasize that awarding the BEP construction manager contract to the firm already leading overall construction work will centralize oversight and simplify invoice review and documentation required by the grant administrator. The proposed contract calls for Pinnacle to perform BEP construction management with no mark‑up against the grant‑funded scopes.
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The council will consider hiring a construction manager specifically for the portions of the Cooley School redevelopment funded by a state Blight Elimination Program grant.
The grant totals $676,127 and will fund masonry work, window work and roof replacement related to the Cooley redevelopment.
The plan calls for 23 apartments, with at least 12 units reserved for income‑qualified households at or below 120% of area median income.
Garrett Family Community Partners is identified in city documents as the purchaser/developer, working through a transaction with DKD Development and the local school district.
City documents indicate the city will not incur costs that are not 100% covered by the BEP grant for the grant‑funded scopes.
The council meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Cadillac Municipal Complex, 200 North Lake St.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project | Cooley School redevelopment into 23 apartments |
| BEP grant amount | $676,127 |
| Affordable units | At least 12 units at ≤120% AMI |
| BEP scopes | Masonry repair, window removal/repair/replacement, roof removal/replacement |
| Proposed construction manager | Pinnacle Construction Group, Inc. (Grand Rapids) |
| Developer/purchaser | Garrett Family Community Partners through DKD Development |
| Council meeting | Tuesday, 6 p.m., Cadillac Municipal Complex, 200 North Lake St. |
| Historic facts | Building built 1923; closed as a school in 2010; long vacant |
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