PARRY SOUND – Beatty Street will house the town’s new elementary school.
The Near North District School Board (NNDSB) made the announcement Friday after years of searching for a place to build.
Construction is scheduled to start next summer, with students in the classroom for the 2013-2014 school year, said NNDSB chair Kathy Hewitt
“It feels great, it’s been a long process,” said Hewitt. “There’s been a lot of hurdles and glitches, but now they’ve all been cleaned up.”
The new elementary school will replace the aged William Beatty and Victory public schools.
The province announced $12 million in funding for the project in 2009 after a public review committee determined replacing the two aging schools with one new building was the best solution to a problem of dropping enrolment and deteriorating infrastructure.
The town had decided just three days before last week’s announcement to write the school board requesting an update on the search after 10 months of silence on the issue. With the announcement, the note isn’t needed.
“It’s great that they have chosen a site and now we know where it is and hopefully they will sit down with our staff and figure out the logistics with a school at that location,” said Parry Sound Mayor Jamie McGarvey when the North Star broke the school board’s news to him Friday.
Before construction can begin on the nearly vacant lot, about eight-acres in size, the board must first request Parry Sound rezone the property and prove the site isn’t contaminated from its previous use as a trucking depot.
Providing that proof isn’t expected to be a problem.
“The previous owner had a Record of Site Condition because they were going to use it for residential,” said the town’s director of community development, Iain Laing.
The school board must also complete a traffic study and make sure the sewer and water systems are adequate for the land’s new use.
The board will probably have to put at least one sidewalk along the road.
“Providing safe access to the proposed school and the safety of the area and safety for the children going to the school will all be assessed in the traffic study - that’s the main reason for having one,” said Laing.
The school board is expected to pay for upgrades needed to accommodate the new school.
The school was expected to open for the 2012-2013 school year.
“Because of the length of time to get the property…it has moved the closing date up,” said Hewitt.
She added that the province has “given us the go-ahead for this piece of property.”
“We have a clean piece of property, fairly flat, set to go,” said Hewitt.
The principals of William Beatty and Victory are pleased with the announcement.
“We are forging ahead with our new school building,” said Julie Beaudoin, Principal of Victory Public School in a press release. “We are very excited to be moving this project forward. This modern building will help support our students in their pursuit of excellence in their academic journeys. This new school will be a positive addition to the community of Parry Sound. We welcome the adventure we are about to embark on.”
Her counterpart at William Beatty said the announcement was “welcome news.”
“The staff and I are thrilled about this announcement,” said principal Jody Mayhew. “The new school will offer our students many new learning opportunities both inside and outside the building. The large open space is an ideal setting for the building of the new school.”
The sale of the land closed Wednesday.
The school board still needs provincial approval for a school design, which it hopes will come this winter, said Hewitt.
The project’s architect is expected to present the board with a project timeline later this week.
The former landowners are slated to remove the office and garage building on the property left over from previous industrial use.
Source: www.cottagecountrynow.ca
