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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-03-22, Page 8Page 8 March 22, 2006 • The Huron Expositor News Jeff Heuchert photo Charlie Garrick, of Seaforth, watches as he lets go of a rock at the Vanastra Curling Club during March Break activities during an Olympic Play Day Thursday. \\ 41;111.111('1' ‘‘ilk, 11(1111.11)1;1(1 :;(11 1;111()(). 11 1%;e-,11.1 1111111 hk (.41';111(111;111g11101' %%a,' 111;11 he (11,,e(I\ ereti he 11.•,(1 g()1 ( . Public trustees debate merits of 120 projects at 57 different sites Stew Slater 1111111111111111111= Trustees and senior staff of the Avon Maitland District School Board jumped to the defence of spending $175,000 on the rubber- ized running track at Goderich District Collegiate Institute (GDCI), after the expense was questioned by South Huron trustee Randy Wagler at a regular meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28. Repair of the 25 year-old track was among almost 120 separate pro- jects at 57 different sites, mentioned in a "Draft List of 2005-06 Facility Projects." They range in projected cost from the $13,500 expected to be spent on cafeteria floor upgrades at Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) in Clinton to the $750,000 earmarked for Special Education renovations at Stratford Northwestern Secondary School. Sources for funding are expected to include the board's facility renew- al budget, the provincial govern- ment's Good Places to Learn initia- tive, and a little bit of money flow- ing through municipalities under something called "Bet Start," from the recently -cancelled federal gov- ernment's national daycare pro- gram. No approvals were sought from trustees at the Feb. 28 meeting. That will come in the form of con- sidering expenditure levels in the upcoming budget, and in voting on tendering processes for each project as it's brought forward. Wagler, however, picked out the GDCI track project as one which deserved attention at this early stage of the process. The South Huron trustee suggest- ed "$175,000 can buy a lot of equip- ment too, for other schools or pro- grams . . . I'm not sure I can justify it in my mind compared to other expenditures." Business superintendent Janet Baird -Jackson, who delivered the report, responded that board offi- cials believe the GDCI track plays a role in maintaining and,attracting students who might otherwise choose to attend St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School in Clinton. However, jumping to defence of the track with much greater enthu- siasm were executive officer Tim Doherty, a former GDCI principal, and Central/East.Huron representa- tive Shelley Kaastra, who fought through a cold -weakened voice to make known her opposition to Wagler. "A large number of people outside the Goderich community do benefit from that track, elementary and sec- ondary," argued Doherty, after explaining it's among few facilities in the area which can legally be used for annual track meets. Kaastra added that many commu- nity groups use the track for annual events, including the Cancer Society fundraising walk and the Special Olympics. - Other proposed repairs at GDCI., for the cokni7 year include.about $500,000 in ro fmg upgrades. Among the other schools receiving significant attention in the Facilities Projects draft list were: - Avon Public School (the former King Lear) in Stratford, with $620,000 in roofing and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air condi- tioning) upgrades; ' - Brookside Public School at R.R. 7 Lucknow, with five smaller projects covering electrical work, the gym floor and HVAC upgrades; - Huron Centennial Public School at R.R. 1 Brucefield, with $450,000 in -ventilation and windows; • CHSS, with nine separate pro- jects, including $500,000 in masonry repairs, $350,000 in lighting upgrades and $400,000 worth of gymnasium work; - F.E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham, with seven separate pro- jects including $300,000 for making the building wheelchair accessible and $500,000 on science labs. Of particular interest for other reasons are Turnberry Central Public School at R.R. 4 Wingham and Milverton Public School. According to the draft Facilities list, the board will apply for special consideration under the province's "prohibitive to repair" (PTR) guide- lines, in an attempt to prove it would take more money to fix the school than it would be build a new one. In the case of Turnberry, it's the entire school. In the case of Milverton, it's just an unused front portion. "We want to make a case to the (Education) Ministry that we should be able to replace it," explained Baird -Jackson.