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ROSEVILLE — A letter from the current owners of the former Catholic Community of Sacred Heart church in Roseville states that while the building is to be demolished, parts of it will be repurposed.
In a letter to the city of Roseville dated July 3, the Rev. Gregory Piatt and Deacon Tom Houle ask for an exemption of demolition costs and fees in order to reclaim materials from the building to be repurposed. Piatt and Houle are the president and business manager, respectively, of St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish.
“The work consists of reusing all the roof tiles, bell tower peak and the bell, along with other materials and religious artifacts including the entry doors with stained glass,” the letter states.
The letter states parts of the building will be repurposed at St. Pio of Pietrelcina and at Sacred Heart Cemetery. Renderings will be presented showing proposed projects in which the repurposed materials will be used, it states.
However, before any permits had been issued, a contractor was found to be working on removing pieces of the building’s roof. At City Council’s July 22 meeting, City Manager Ryan Monroe stated that the city had reached out and notified the contractor that they had been operating without a permit.
“Regarding the work that’s already been done, we did contact the contractor on Friday and again today to advise them that they were working without a permit,” Monroe said at the July 22 meeting. “They did stop on Friday and I believe they stopped today, but again, the contractor wants to get the work done.”
Councilman Bill Shoemaker said he’s glad to be seeing parts of the church repurposed, but he had also heard concerns about the permits.
“I just want to let people know that, first of all, I go to St. Pio, so I’m glad they’re trying to do something to repurpose it,” he said. “But at the same time, I represent the city of Roseville, and I did get three additional calls and concerns about the permits not being pulled ahead of time.”
Shoemaker also said he’d heard concerns about asbestos on the roof.
Monroe said the city was working to obtain the abatement report from the new owners of the building.
“They did do a quite extensive investigation into that property,” he said. “We don’t believe there’s anything in the bell tower or on the roof, but we are looking into that.”
The request to waive the demolition fees was approved by City Council with a unanimous vote. In a July 29 email, Monroe said the proper permits had been obtained.
Once the parts of the building have been removed, the letter states, the building will be boarded up “for the safety of the community until such time Sheetz takes possession,” the letter states.
The sale of the church has been a point of contention in the community for several years. Past plans have included repurposing the structure for a mixed-use storage and retail facility. Most recently, however, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz is in the process of purchasing the property as a location to build a multimillion-dollar development of a fuel center, convenience store and restaurant.
Edward Stross, who owns Gonzo!! Art Studio across the street, has made numerous attempts to save the church, even going so far as to file a claim of appeal after the Roseville Planning Commission approved the future Sheetz plans.
Roseville City Attorney Tim Tomlinson previously stated that a claim of appeal is filed by a person who disagrees with a decision made by a tribunal or commission. It was ultimately dismissed in the Macomb County Circuit Court.
However, demolition of the building began while Stross was waiting for a decision from the Michigan Court of Appeals.
“I’m still fighting this in the courts so it won’t be a Sheetz,” Stross said. “But put it this way: I’m furious, heartbroken, disappointed.”
Stross said he doesn’t find any solace in parts of the church being repurposed elsewhere.
In the July 3 letter sent to the city, Piatt and Houle stated the sale of the church was near closing.
“St. Pio of Pietrelcina is excited that the sale of the Sacred Heart Church building located at 18430 Utica Road in Roseville is coming to a near closing,” the letter states.
Stross said he won’t stop fighting to keep Sheetz from coming into the area, calling it a disruption to the community.
“I’m continuing to fight this,” he said. “Go ahead, destroy the church, tear it down. I can’t stop them from doing that, but I have legal rights to try to stop the Sheetz from coming in here.”
Stross added that he feels bad for the families who have relatives buried at the cemetery at the church.
“My heart goes out to all the people that have family members buried at Sacred Heart’s cemetery. I tried as hard as possible to try to save the church. … It hurts me just as much as it hurts them,” he said.
