Fate of St. Thomas School hangs on public opinion

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Jennifer McIntosh

EMC news - The fate of the former St. Thomas school site will be up for debate at the Nepean Sailing Club on Feb. 21.

The school - which was purchased by the city for about $2 million, according to Bay Coun. Mark Taylor - would be a site for community programming if the Crystal Beach-Lakeview Community Association has anything to say about it.

The community association collected 500 signatures in 2009 to save the school building for local use.

The community will be presented with three options for the site.

The first proposal would cost about $4.3 million, and would see a levy charged to area households in the amount of $374 for 10 years. This option would mean the whole building would be kept and retrofitted for use.

The second option would be to keep some of the building - something like the gymnasium or a few classrooms for community use - and demolish the rest of the building. That would cost about $3.9 million and come with an annual cost of $335 for homeowners for 10 years.

The third option has no levy but would come with no building. It would only include about 1,200 square metres of property added to Maki Park. The cost would be $220,000

Taylor said he is in favour of the last option.

"Since I was elected we have been talking about the school," he said. "Most people want to keep the school, but so far no one has been in support of a levy."

When the city bought the school the levy was introduced as a way to repay the city's investment in the property. Taylor called the move a "hail Mary pass" by the former councillor for the ward.

"I don't believe the levy was properly outlined to the public," Taylor said.

A decision on the fate of the former school site is nearly a year overdue, and the community doesn't have a business case for keeping the school with no levy he added.

The community has been without a community centre for 60 years.

The community association, which met in October to discuss the issue, has come up with some counter proposals that include selling off part of the land, devising a membership scheme for the facility once it's completed and fundraising. None of the proposals include a levy.

Taylor said the community association will have space to speak and show their plans at the public consultation later this month.

"If we have a solid plan and business case for the building I am happy to take that to council," he said.

The meeting will start at 7 p.m.