by, WLEN News Staff
Updated 1/7/2018
A telescope manufacturer is interested in buying the former Adrian Training School campus to consolidate its Deerfield and California operations. At its meeting Tuesday, the Adrian City Commission unanimously approved a letter of intent between the city and PlaneWave Holdings LLC to negotiate the sale of the property at the corner of North Main Street and Curtis Road.
The city bought the 58-acre property from the state of Michigan in 2011 for $1 with the intention of protecting the northern entrance to the city and the North Main Street corridor. The state closed the training school, which had operated for more than 100 years as a juvenile detention facility, in 2009.
PlaneWave apparently intends to build a large observatory on the property, which would house “one of the largest telescopes in the country.” Plans for two new hotels in Adrian have helped with the decision to consolidate operations in Adrian.
PlaneWave sells its telescopes to NASA, foreign countries, research facilities, the military, astrophotographers and amateur astronomers.
(Photo Credit: Screenshot of Planewave Website)