CHEBOYGAN — It’s been a project years in the making, and it’s finally happening.
Cheboygan Area Schools and East Elementary officially celebrated a new chapter with a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, April 14.
With support from the Cheboygan community and a bond referendum that passed in 2024 — one that Cheboygan Area Schools superintendent Spencer Byrd called a tax extension that brought $22 million in revenue specifically for renovation of facilities and grounds — the project will help enhance learning spaces and opportunities for East Elementary students for years to come.
“We have a whole laundry list of things we need to do with that $22 million, but the majority of it — $10.5 million — is going to East Elementary, almost half, and the reason almost half is going into East Elementary, is because it is our oldest building, built in 1959,” Byrd said on Tuesday. “We’ve had some issues in the past with smells and gases and all kinds of stuff, heating, cooling, ventilation.”
Cheboygan Area Schools has partnered with SitelogIQ, which provides facility planning and construction nationwide, as well as ENL Construction Group from Flint, to make it all possible.
Jamie Nye, a Cheboygan native who works for ENL Construction Group, was thrilled to be a part of the project, which will benefit the students, teachers, and the school in a major way.
"I love it,” Nye said. “I do K-12 renovations, so when I saw Cheboygan come up, I was really excited to be a part of it. I think the school system has been very easy to work with. They’re generous with their space, and it makes my job easier.”
Byrd also went through what is to be added to the school, including a parking lot, a large instructional classroom, and a new office area. He also had a timetable on when things should be done.
“Hopefully 90% of this will be done by this summer of 2026, and 100% will be done in the summer of 2027,” Byrd said. “This is why I’m here. I like to fix stuff. I’m getting close to retirement, but I’d like to leave things better than when I found them. East Elementary has kind of been my arch-nemesis in regard to facilities. This is my third year here. We’ve obviously had the most problems with the school building that was built in 1959, and you’re going to have the most heating, cooling, ventilation problems than anywhere else, so I’m really excited we won’t have to spend a lot of time fixing stuff over here if we can get some upgrades in technology and facilities and things of that nature.”
Also on hand for the groundbreaking event was Cheboygan Area Schools Board of Education President Julie Lohela, who called the occasion a long time coming for East Elementary.
“It was needed very badly, and we’re really excited about it. It’s been good working with SitelogIQ, and to do a groundbreaking and make it official, they really let the community know how important this is, how much we need this, and how appreciative we are to the community," Lohela said.
As for those who work at the school, their excitement is through the roof.
“It’s amazing,” Principal Deanna Duffton said. “We’re just feeling grateful that the community has allowed this. There’s going to be a lot of improvements and an improved learning environment for our students and our staff. It’ll have that overall welcoming feeling, adding to our culture and improving the culture of our building.”
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT