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Huron Expositor, 2009-05-06, Page 17•J L ews "• .0• •"" The Huron Expositor • May 6, 2009 Page 17 • REACH equine training centre construction nearly complete Stew Sjat_er With construction. nearly complete on a new facility containinga 32,000 square foot indoor riding arena, seat- ing for around 550 spectators, and a separate teaching barn, ;a communi- ty -led equine training centre on land previously occupied by St.Joseph Catholic elementary school in Clin- ton is almost ready to open. Richard Harding, CEO of the Mu- nicipality of Central Huron, attend- ed a regular meeting of the Huron - Perth Catholic District School Board on Monday, April 27, to provide an update about the Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH). The municipality was behind the decision to purchase the school property after, the board built a new school across town adjacent to St. Anne's high school and remains the REACH project's biggest finan- cial contributor. REACH's vision is to establish a centre of excellence for training in equine specialties, as well as a ven- ue for high-level equine competitions and events. Harding's presentation pointed to hopes that these projects will create jobs, both -directly and indirectly in • the surrounding community. And, in a world in which an in- creasing number of people make their living from their own home, he suggested the recreational and cultural aspects of the project could be attractive - to prospective home- buyers looking for a suitable home community. Another part of the vision, however, is to provide a place for young people in the area to learn about large live- stock in general. According to Harding, the inspira- tion for this came from a realization that Central Huron and surround- ing municipalities face the prospect of losing high school graduates to other parts of the province due to a perceived lack of training and em- ployment opportunities. "If you look at where we're located, 68 per cent of Ontario's large live- stock is from within an hour's drive," Harding explained. Both district school boards in Hu- ron and Perth Counties have estab- lished relationships with REACH, as a potential placement site for co- operative education students. St. Anne's high school also is home to a "Specialized High Skill's Major" program in agriculture — through which students can achieve a sec- ondary school diploma _while taking a number of specialized credits out- side the regular classroom --- and the plan is for the Equine Agricultural Centre to play host to some of these students. REACH "really provides several of the pieces" required for the high skills major, commented education superintendent Dan Parr. At the post -secondary level, .. rela- tionships have also been established with the University of Guelph, Olds College in Alberta, and a number of Ontario colleges. Harding's update includes a mes- sage of support from a University of Guelph professor, who noted the decreasing availability of teaching spaces for large animal specialties on campus. "The value added by having these courses held outside the University of Guelph campus within an actual rural community cannot be underes- timated," his presentation stated. . Besides the new building, as well as educational and administrative spaces in the renovated St. Joseph's school, - the plan also includes an 80,000 square foot outdoor show are- na, barns to hold up to 300 horses for large shows, approximately 40 recre- ational vehicle camping sites, a com- munity garden that could be used by students learning about food pro- duction and preparation, and equine trails to connect with the nearby Hullett Marsh wildlife conservation area. Funding has already been secured — to a total of $2.1 million — from the Clinton Raceway, the County of Huron, and two separate rural revi- talization initiatives of the Ontario government. A fundrais- ing campaign is underway to move towards the projected total need of $6.5 million, with Central Huron covering shortfalls. Asked about the support of the community, Harding told trustees, "there was some misconceptions about what we were doing (earlier in the process), but I think we're clear- ing that up now." He suggested the public is "sup- portive that we're making invest- ments in the community that haven't been there for quite a long time." A grand opening is scheduled for September, but limited' program- ming at the Equine Agricultural Centre will begin soon. 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