HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-11-29, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2000.
Separate school bd. considers
closing Hesson’s St, Mary’s
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Several fire and other safety con
cerns are cited in a letter sent Nov.
13 to officials of St. Mary’s Catholic
elementary school in Hesson, a 75-
year-old building which the Huron-
Perth Catholic District School Board
is seeking to, in the words of
Stratford Trustee Ron Marcy, “have
declared obsolete.”
The letter, signed by St. Mary’s
School Council Chair Alan Haid,
says, “(school council members) feel
it is an injustice to our children and
staff to compromise with the existing
inadequacies of the school in com
parison with the majority of our
counterparts within the school
board.”
The letter, a copy of which was
sent to board officials, was included
in an information package for
trustees at a regular Huron-Perth,
meeting Monday, Nov. 27. It cites a
less-than-complimentary fire safety
inspection, carried out in April, 2000
by Milverton’s Perth East Fire
Department.
A report from Marcy, the board’s
education chair, states the inadequa
cies mentioned in the Perth East
inspection are currently being
addressed by the board’s manager of
plant. He also explained board offi
cials knew of various problems at St.
Mary’s even before last April. “The
board is well aware of these con
cerns and has been for some length
of time,” Marcy said.
Indeed, the fire inspection corrob
orates an earlier “school facility
review,” written for the board in
December, 1998 by the Stratford
based architectural firm of Terry
Marklevitz and Brian Garrant.
Both reports point to inadequate
fire separations between rooms and
an inability to maintain required
access routes. The fire safety inspec
tion also cites inadequate storage
space, which has led to the obstruc
tion of passageways and corridors
through the use of these areas for
storage, and to the presence of com
bustible materials in unsafe loca
tions. The architectural report, mean
while, mentions inadequate fire rat
ings in ceiling materials and the poor
condition of the school’s distinctive
adjoining tower.
The school council letter draws
from both reports, but also includes
several other concerns. These
include the lack of a direct commu
nication link between the main
school building and three portable
classrooms, the absence of a “safe
containment area for staff and stu
dents during a tornado or high wind
occurrence,” uneven pavement in the
play area, roof problems, an under
sized gymnasium, and an electrical
system which is at or near capacity,
preventing such things as the expan
sion of the school’s milk program.
These concerns, the letter states,
“would be best alleviated by initial
capital expenditure on a new school
structure rather than on band-aid
solutions such as have occurred over
the past years.”
The Marklevitz and Garrant report
also supports rebuilding. “There are
several items that make expansion of
this building difficult and the viabil
ity of doing so, questionable,” states
the 1998 report, citing such factors
as limited lot frontage and the loca
tion of wells.
According to Huron-Perth offi
cials, however, band-aid solutions
may be all that s available for the
time being.
In his report, Marcy explained that
the board initiated a process two
years ago to have the provincial edu
cation ministry remove St. Mary’s
from its list of active schools.
However, the board
receive word that the
continue.
Following the Nov.
Huron-Perth Director of Education
Gaetan Blanchette told the media
that the board agrees with members
of the school council. “We have a
school where we’re finding that it’s
not efficient to maintain it,”
Blanchette said. “It’s costing as
much to fix it as it would cost to
rebuild.”
But he said the board must have
the school removed from the active
list before it can consider rebuilding.
That’s because the province hands
out educational funding in specific
envelopes and, right now, the money
coming to St. Mary’s is earmarked
for teaching students. If the school
were to be removed from the active
list, only then would it qualify for
funds earmarked specifically for
rebuilding.
“In the meantime, we have to
make sure that the school is comfort
able for the students,” Blanchette
said.
Asked if the board couldn’t just
remove all children from St. Mary’s
and house them in portables at near
by schools, Management
Superintendent Gerry Thuss said it’s
not possible.
“There isn’t room,” Thuss said.
Blanchette concluded by stressing
that the Huron-Perth board isn’t
alone in urging the provincial gov
ernment to deal with the issue of
deteriorated school buildings.
“It’s a bigger issue than just one
school,” he said, adding several
boards across Ontario face similar
dilemmas.
Long-time
trustee says
her goodbye
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
M
O F
has yet to
process will
27 meeting,
Twelve-year trustee Louise Martin
gave an almost-teary farewell to fel
low representatives on the Huron-
Perth Catholic District School
Board, concluding a Nov. 27 meeting
that saw her return to the position of
board chair for the evening.
“(Being a trustee) has been a
tremendous experience for me and a
real growth experience,” said
Martin, who declined to seek re-elec
tion in the North and Central Huron
trusteeship during this month’s
municipal vote. “I come away with a
whole bunch more from you than I
ever was able to bring to the table
myself.”
Martin, who served a stint as board
chair and concluded her 12-year
presence as vice-chair, returned to
her former position just for the
evening. Current chair Bernard
Murray was absent, so Martin filled
in.
Education Chair Ron Marcy paid
tribute to Martin during the board’s
closing prayer, giving thanks for her
years of service.
Martin will be replaced on the
Huron-Perth board by Mary-
Catherine McKeon, who was
acclaimed in North and Central
Huron. All four other incumbent
trustees will return.
Ask
AMDSB, secondary teachers
ratify collective agreement•A*
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Ratification votes were held yes
terday (Tuesday, Nov. 28) for a new
collective agreement between the
Avon Maitland District School
Board and the union representing its
secondary school teachers.
According to Bill Huzar, District 8
president of the Ontario Secondary
School Teachers’ Federation, the
agreement was reached Monday,
Nov. 20.
He declined to disclose any details
until following the ratification votes,
but the current unpredictability of
provincial funding realities means it
will almost certainly be a one-year
pact.
Huzar said union members were to
vote on the deal during the day yes
terday, with Avon Maitland trustees
set to consider it during their regular
board meeting yesterday evening.
Incidentally, last night represented
the final meeting of the current board
of trustees, prior to the instalment of
several newly-elected representa
tives.
The current deal between the
board and its secondary teachers
expired Aug. 30, with members
working under conditions of the old
deal during the interim period.
However, increased provincial
regulations for instructional time,
combined with the absence of a new
deal, has meant most teachers have
been unwilling to supervise the same
level of extracurricular activities as
they have in the past
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