Suttons Bay Public Schools hosted a demolition and groundbreaking ceremony for the dilapidated 50,000-square-foot former middle school Tuesday as the Norsemen welcome a new chapter.
“I’m happy with it, and it’s going to be an improvement. I can’t see much that’s not positive,” former Suttons Bay middle school teacher and school board trustee Liz Venie said. “I was really nostalgic about the gym floor, which is going to be gone, and my old classroom’s going to be gone, and all those things. But you’ve always got the nostalgia. You’ve got all the memories.”
Venie, who started teaching at the old middle school in 1972, hosted classes throughout the 1970s and 1980s before moving to the high school and eventually retiring in 1998.
By the time she retired, the building was already in transition for several classes, both middle school and high school.
“We were growing like crazy. When classes changed throughout the day, nobody could move in the hallway,” Venie said. “I think this is going to help bring back some of our size ... I probably miss track the most and the people I used to work with, kids I used to have, who are now retiring from the school.”
The 50,000-square-foot building holds many memories, including a time when Suttons Bay was the largest school in the county, with more than 1,000 kids. Now, the school district has been cut in half from its height and graduated roughly 20 students this year.
The old middle school housed an auxiliary gym and some classroom space in the early 2000s before being uninhabitable. As part of the demolition project, a new gymnasium will be built on the old middle school’s site.
Suttons Bay first grade students even missed out on a little bit of their field day to come over and take a swing with a sledgehammer at the old school.
When Petz took the Superintendent job, he knew it would be a large project. Now, this will be the most impactful change to the school’s infrastructure in 50 years.
Suttons Bay Service Manager Bill Mork admits he’s looking forward to seeing something new in the old building that wasn’t always the easiest to deal with.
“To me, I think it’s a great opportunity to get into new facilities for the kids. I have two girls, pretty soon, three girls, that are going to be going through elementary all the way through high school,” Mork said. “To see new facilities for them to be able to use that makes me feel connected to the community a little more.”
From June through August 30 will be the majority of the demolition project as the school tackles removing an old boiler system and installing a new one, to be ready to go in the fall. Demolition of the north-end buildings and auxiliary gym spaces will occur over several phases. Abatement work began months ago.
This work will be very visible from Elm Street this summer as we work to improve traffic flow and parking on the east side of our campus.
From June 15 - August 30, HVAC replacement and modernization work will take place in the Elementary and Middle School buildings. These upgrades improve energy usage and efficiency while also updating HVAC systems that were past their expected service life.
“With all the work going on this summer, our hope is that most projects will wrap up in time for us to start the school year smoothly to welcome students and families back on campus in September. Construction projects during the school year will primarily focus on our new Multipurpose Gym and Practice facility. We are excited to see these projects come together and for our students and families to see the changes and updates all over campus that we believe will help Suttons Bay Public Schools to deliver highquality programs and instruction for decades to come,” Suttons Bay Superintendent Casey Petz said.
Suttons Bay Public School District voters approved an $18.3 million bond proposal in 2024 for the project, and it is expected to take over three years to complete.
