Catherine Cobb Safe House looks to buy Herrick Park school property

The organization that runs the Catherine Cobb Safe House has made an offer to buy the Herrick Park school property in Tecumseh.

By DAVID PANIAN

davidp@tecumsehherald.com

TECUMSEH — Lenawee County’s domestic violence shelter could be moving to Tecumseh if a deal can be struck to sell the closed Herrick Park school to the organization that runs the Catherine Cobb Safe House.

Family Counseling and Children’s Services has offered to buy the school for $125,000, Tecumseh Public Schools Superintendent Matt Hilton told the board of education at its meeting Monday. Further terms of FCCS’ offer are that it would make a $5,000 refundable down payment and have 365 days to do its due diligence work, such as inspections and environmental studies, during which time it could revoke its offer and the down payment would be returned. The deal would close by Dec. 1, 2026. It would be a cash sale.

FCCS would convert the building into residential and office use, Hilton said. They are currently in different buildings in Adrian.

An FCCS representative at the meeting said the organization has been looking for a place where it could consolidate the shelter and its other services for a long time. 

The shelter has been in Adrian since it was started in the 1970s. It is named for Catherine Cobb, who was an early supporter of the shelter and one of the daughters of Tecumseh Products Co. founder Ray Herrick and his wife, Hazel.

The offer is worth considering, Hilton said, but he suggested making a counteroffer that perhaps made the down payment nonrefundable or shortened the due diligence period.

Board vice president Lynne Davis said having the shelter at the former school would be beneficial to the families living there because their kids could be in a safe neighborhood where they can walk or ride bikes and they could attend inclusive schools. Those families might then develop a loyalty to the Tecumseh community and perhaps stay and give back themselves.

However, Davis said, the question remains how would the Herrick Park neighborhood residents and city officials feel about it, particularly rezoning the property. It is currently zoned RA-2, which primarily allows single-family residential uses.

Hilton said he is aware of discussions having begun with city officials and that he and district operations director Josh Mattison have given tours of the building with Catherine Cobb and city officials.

The FCCS representative said city officials have told her it could take up to a year to complete the rezoning process. She said they are confident they can sell relocating the shelter to the former school to the neighborhood and community.

Board secretary Becky Brooks said having the down payment be nonrefundable would be reasonable if the property were to be off the market for a year while FCCS does its due diligence work.

This situation would be different from the district’s sale of the Patterson school property, Brooks said. The district sold the property earlier this year and leased it back for $1 as it continues to maintain and insure the property while the new owner explores redevelopment options. After one year the property will completely be the responsibility of the new owner.

Board president Greg Lewis said he is concerned about taking the property off the market for a year and possibly missing out on other prospective buyers.

Davis suggested the counteroffer could include a clause that the sale would close within 30 days of final city approval.

The Herrick Park property was appraised earlier this year to have a value of between $180,000 and $370,000.