HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-02-21, Page 18With grassroots community mem-bers prevented by a swirling snow-storm from bringing their 600-name
petition to Seaforth, and with the
official report of the so-called
Facilities Advisory Committee
(FAC) unavailable due to an admin-
istrative mix-up, St. Marys resident
Frances Latham did her best to make
up for it with a heartfelt presentation
on behalf of the committee.
“Bear with me while I tell you a
few things about our town,” Latham
told trustees of the Avon Maitland
District School Board, at a regular
meeting Tuesday, Feb. 12.
“Employers willingly take on
apprentices and co-op students. We
have a wonderful hospital, excellent
schools and a reasonably stable
downtown. We in the community
help raise everyone’s children,
through social interactions, volun-
teering, work opportunities and
neighbourly living.”
The board-mandated FAC, made
up of representatives from school
councils, the public, business and
town council, hosted a series of pub-
lic meetings in the wake of a
Ministry of Education declaration
that the town’s two elementary
schools are “prohibitive to repair.”
Approximately $4.8 million has
been pledged for the construction of
a new elementary school.
Over the course of those meetings,
it became clear the majority of com-munity members want a new kinder-garten-to-Grade-8 school built ontown-owned property adjacent to thenewly-renovated Pyramid Centrerecreation complex. This runs con-
trary to initial proposals from the
board, which would have seen a K-6
facility built on the grounds of St.
Marys DCVI, with Grades 7 and 8
students attending the high school.
“There are no benefits to placing
such a small group in the high school
other than, we suspect, financial,”
Latham said. “None of us on the
committee are naïve enough to
believe (the Pyramid Centre propos-
al) can be accomplished with a small
budget; the town has shown its com-
mitment to the project by proposing
generous terms for lease arrange-
ments.”
She went on to suggest the
Ministry of Education’s calculations
for projected capacity rates at St.
Marys DCVI “could be questioned”
– a comment which drew a request
for clarification from chair Meg
Westley.
Latham responded that she had
undertaken informal discussions
with the DCVI principal, and was
told the Ministry numbers assumed
full-time occupancy for rooms like
the library and computer labs, which
aren’t typically occupied full-time.
“(The principal) said it would be
very difficult to make the Ministry
numbers work if two more grades
were brought into the high school,”
she said in a subsequent interview.A separate grassroots communitygroup had planned to attend the Feb.12 meeting to deliver a petition insupport of the FAC recommenda-tion, but remained in St. Marys due
to the storm.
“It will be good if we go to the
next board meeting and present (the
petition),” explained group member
Elizabeth Hill the following morn-
ing. “That way, we’ll keep it in front
of trustees for longer and they’ll
keep thinking about us.”
(Another public delegation, repre-
senting an effort by Canadian
Parents for French to have the board
approve French immersion in HuronCounty, was also prevented fromattending the meeting due to thestorm.)Latham noted she felt it wasimportant the FAC members braved
the drifting and blowing snow to
attend the meeting, in order to keep
the process moving forward. She
predicted a new school could be
opened as early as September, 2009,
but more likely in January, 2010.
The FAC recommendation will
form just a portion of the analysis
undertaken by Avon Maitland staff
and trustees when they decide the
future plans in St. Marys. According
to education director GeoffWilliams, a staff report will be pre-pared for the board’s April 9 meet-ing, with trustees asked to provide afinal decision April 22.Williams said only preliminary
discussions have been held between
the Town of St. Marys and the school
board, regarding the Pyramid Centre
property. He said the board is still
analyzing the projected costs of
school construction on that site.
He added, however, that discus-
sions with the town will have to take
place before trustees are asked to
make a decision. “Likely, those dis-
cussions would happen in March.”
PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2008.St. Marys resident delivers message to board
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Tight squeeze
It was a Family Day experience at the Blyth arena when
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share a hug. The free skate was sponsored by the North
Huron rec department. (Vicky Bremner photo)