CALUMET – The Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium & Keweenaw Board of Education passed a resolution concerning a building next to school property during its regular meeting Tuesday.

Superintendent Darryl Pierce said the building is owned by the United States government, which wants to sell it.

The building is located behind the Calumet Colosseum, and it used to be a rifle range when the Colosseum was the National Guard Armory.

Pierce said Calumet Township, C-L-K and the Calumet Housing Commission all have property adjacent to the former rifle range, and all those entities want to be certain the building isn’t sold to a buyer who may not allow public access to it.

“They want to keep it as public use,” he said. “The township has a proposed public use.”

The township is using the building for storage, now, but Pierce said Calumet Township Supervisor Paul Lehto has a plan to keep it as a shooting range, which could be used by local law enforcement and the Michigan State Police.

The vote approving Pierce’s resolution to join with Calumet Township and the Calumet Housing Commission urging the U.S. government to retain public access to the former rifle range was unanimous.

In another action, the board approved an operations funding loan.

Many school districts borrow money at the beginning of a school year to provide funding for operations until state financial aid is received. Pierce also informed the board members River Valley Bank was chosen to provide the district $1.5 million loan at .89 percent.

Pierce said Range Bank offered a loan at 1.02 percent, and the state of Michigan offered a rate of 1.3 percent.

“We got a very good deal from River Valley Bank,” he said.