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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2003-03-05, Page 7THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2003. PAGE 7. HPRCDSB looks at re-locating Hesson school By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen A Capital Planning Discussion Paper, presented in the village of Hesson at a public meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 19, highlights some potential benefits of relocating St. Mary’s Catholic elementary school to Listowel, while suggesting there could be drawbacks to rebuilding the aging facility at its present site. “The enrolment and population trends would suggest that the school should be located in the Town of Listowel if it is to maintain its viability in the long term,” states the report, prepared by the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board. Under an education ministry financing program for facilities which have been deemed “prohibitive to repair,” the 75 year-old Hesson-based school is slated for demolition. The board is aiming for September, 2004 as the completion date for an approximately $2.1 million replacement facility. And it’s aiming for its next regular meeting — Monday, March 24 — as the date for a decision about where that facility will be built. The public was given its first chance to participate in the process last Wednesday. About 100 people Counties distinct entities Continued from page 1 it is in accord with the electoral population split between the counties and recognizes that Huron and Perth Counties remain distinct entities both in law and in the minds of the general public,” the report states. Among those scenarios which don’t cross county lines, are various configurations based on the nine reorganized municipalities within Huron. Currently, the areas of representation in Huron are as follows: Howick, Morris-Tumberry, Wingham and the former Grey Twp. are in the Northeast trusteeship, served by Colleen Schenk: the former twps. of Hullett, McKillop, Tuckersmith and Stanley, as well as Seaforth and Clinton, are served by Charles Smith as the Central Huron representative; south area trustee Randy Wagler serves South Huron as well as the former Hay Twp.; Northwest area, served by Butch Desjardine, includes Ashfield- Colbome-Wawanosh, plus the town of Goderich and the former Twps. of Goderich and East Wawanosh. If the goal were solely to split the total population of Huron County as evenly as possible in four, but retain boundaries that follow the re organized municipalities, the most logical redistribution scenario among those analyzed by the board is as follows: the Town of Goderich along with Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh in the northwest; the Twps. of Howick, Morris-Tumberry and North Huron in the northeast; Central Huron and Huron East in a central ward; and South Huron and Bluewater in the south. “That doesn’t mean it’s the only option, because representation by population is only one of the factors that you’re looking at,” cautioned Rachlis. “There are also factors like a sense of community and whether or not, historically, these communities belong together.” At its regular meeting Monday, Feb. 24, the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board decided to retain the present distribution of its five trustees for next November’s municipal election. attended the meeting, where a presentation was made about the discussion paper. “The enrolment of St. Mary’s School has decreased since 1997,” states a summary of enrolment factors in the document. The summary suggests that, in the future, “an increased percentage of students will be located in and around the Town of Listowel,” while “if the school continues to be located in Hesson, we can anticipate significant organizational adjustment and the potential for future instability.” There is also a suggestion that some people currently have ..heir children educated outside the Catholic education system, but would alter their decisions if the school were relocated to Listowel. No direct recommendations are made in the Discussion Paper. In a section about building requirements, four options are listed: adding to the existing facility; construction of a new school at the same site; constructing a new school next to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Listowel; or constructing a new school on an as- yet-undeveloped site. An addition to the existing school is eliminated, due to the proximity of a municipal drain to the property, but the other options are left open for consideration. At a regular Huron-Perth board meeting on Monday, Feb. 24, Management Superintendent Gerry Thuss provided with trustees a description of the previous week’s public meeting in Hesson. “A number of people raised questions about the report,” he said, adding that several subsequent calls were made by members of the public to both himself and to director of education Larry Langan. Thuss said the issues which caused the most concern were the financing of the replacement facility, the safety of children at a potential new location, and the origin of the information used by the board to assess demographics and enrolment projections. “We will be taking a look at some of the information that has been brought to our attention, and maybe looking a little more at the overall demographics,” he said. In an interview following the Feb. 24 meeting, Thuss said he’s hopeful a decision can be made by trustees at the March 24 meeting. He explained that, leading up to that meeting, the task of senior Huron-Perth staff is to complete a comprehensive report examining the options, and make a recommendation that trustees can either accept, alter, or reject. Board chair Bernard Murray urged trustees to see the positive in the process, suggesting the present St. Mary’s facility provides a wonderful environment for learning, and the nev school will do the same. But he also urged them to think about the future. “Where are these students who are going to attend the school going to be?” he asked. “I think we have to try and project into the future and decide where the best place for the school is going to be.” The discussion paper describes the prospective new school, including six regular classrooms, a kindergarten classroom, a library/resource centre, and a gymnasium/multipurpose room. “Depending upon which location is chosen, additional costs would be incurred (over and above the projected $2.1 million); i.e. demolition, site development, site acquisition, or other site requirements.” About five acres of land is necessary, and rezoning for institutional use will likely be a requirement on any new site. The public is still welcome to submit written comments to the/board until its decision. 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