Summary of Specifications:
Washtenaw County Government, a Certified Local Government, and the Chelsea Center for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, seek to oversee the creation of a Rehabilitation Master Plan for the former St. Mary’s Parish School. Located in Chelsea, Michigan, this site is presently owned and occupied by the Chelsea Center for the Arts (CCA). The building also houses a community preschool and rehearsal space for the Purple Rose Theater.
The CCA Board and current benefactors of the CCA are presently focused on the programmatic goals of the organization. The CCA’s Building Committee has not yet formed a clear plan for the care, use, and future maintenance of the historic 1920s school building. Little funding has been available for the maintenance or rehabilitation of this site, which has mounting issues related to its long-term preservation, and in some cases, the safety of staff members occupying the building.
The purpose of this project is to conduct an existing conditions assessment of the CCA building, the former St. Mary’s Parish School. This assessment will result in a prioritized schedule of recommended actions for the near-term, mid-term, and long-term maintenance and rehabilitation of the building. A thorough investigation of the site’s existing conditions, historical development and significance, maintenance issues, and action steps for rehabilitation would provide direction for the CCA’s future maintenance of the site. This rehabilitation master plan would complement a National Register nomination for the St. Mary’s Parish School, which is presently under preparation by Washtenaw County Government. This project is funded in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service through the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (DHAL). Compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations is required, per the grant agreement between Washtenaw County Government and DHAL (grant agreement).
