Plans to demolish the historic Roosevelt Elementary School in Keego Harbor are moving forward, but not without pushback from residents who have been standing in the West Bloomfield School District's way due to their concerns over a lack of transparency and public safety.

Nonprofit Heart of the Lakes Community lost its court battle to uphold an injunction to delay the demolition earlier this year, but they're still gathering outside the closed building Thursday to protest the school district's decision.

Based on documents they obtained through FOIA requests, the Heart of the Lakes Community claims the cost of tearing this building down is much more than the school district is leading people to believe. They also claim demolition would pose a major health risk for everyone living nearby due to asbestos.

The group claims the district only advertised bids for roughly one-seventh of the asbestos that needs to be removed, allowing them to keep abatement costs below $100,000. They claim the remaining unabated asbestos will infect their air and water when the building comes down.

"Right behind you, you'll see a canal. That leads right to Cass Lake. And there's a canal on the other side that leads to Sylvan Lake. All that water they're going to spray on this building to keep the asbestos and the dust down is going to go right into those lakes," said Heart of The Lakes Community board member David Emerling.

Emerling says the true cost of asbestos abatement should be closer to $800,000, while also claiming that there were offers on the table to buy the building.

"We found three major offers: A $1.7 million, a $2 million, and a $2.5 million offer. All of them were going to convert it into residential, which is well needed," he said.

While Emerling says he can't find a reason why the school board would pass up offers like these, the court ruling stated, "the School District had no obligation to sell the property."

The district says the court ruling also found no credible evidence to support the claim that the demolition would cause environmental harm due to asbestos exposure.

The district released the following statement in response to the asbestos concerns:

"The District has followed all applicable guidelines and regulations. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has been on-site multiple times. Our asbestos abatement notification was issued by EGLE after review, and their oversight continues throughout the project. All required pre-abatement and pre-demolition testing has been completed in accordance with state and federal guidelines, and we are following all regulations and requirements associated with that permit to ensure compliance and safety. Safety is our number one priority.

We respect that a small group of community members continues to be disappointed in the demolition decision. However, the building is no longer viable for student learning and does not meet the standards required to provide a safe and effective educational environment for our students. The District remains committed to ensuring that all facilities meet current health, safety, and learning needs."