Hamiltonâs public school board says it will fix an oversight that saw staff tender a contract to convert Stoney Creekâs closed Sir Isaac Brock Elementary School into an adult education centre before getting trusteesâ approval.
Associate director Matthew Gerrard said staff âhad conversations previouslyâ with trustees about the plan, including during the private portion of a finance and facilities committee meeting in September.
âIt will become public in January,â he said, citing a planned report and recommendation that will go to the committee on Jan. 23 for approval and then require the full boardâs blessing before the contract is awarded.
A reporter inquired about the project, budgeted at $1.5 million, after seeing it posted on the boardâs bid opportunities website. The tender, published on Nov. 28, closed on Dec. 19 and attracted 13 bids.
Gerard said if approved by trustees, the Greenford Drive school will reopen next September and replace the CCE Parkway Learning Centre near Eastgate Square, which is rented and primarily used for English-language classes for newcomers.
Renovations include converting pod-style classrooms into modernized learning spaces, the addition of a stairlift and accessibility upgrades to washrooms, and ensuring the heating and ventilation system âis operating the way we need it to,â he said.
Gerard said the adult education centre would take up about half of the school, built in 1969, and the goal is to find other uses for the remaining space.
He said there are no plans to consult the public, noting the board didnât do so when the school temporarily reopened during the pandemic, but if people are concerned, âtheyâre more than able to reach out to us.â
âI would look at it as a wonderful and substantial amount of green space that still remains available to the community,â Gerrard said of the 2.8-hectare school property, which backs onto Dover Park.
âIt definitely brings a wonderful asset to everyone who lives in the neighbourhood, so Iâm hoping that our neighbours view the site as a positive and continue to view it as a positive, even as it ramps back up to a little more activity after a few short years.â
The renovation plan lifts a veil of secrecy on the school, closed in June 2021 as part of a 2016 accommodation plan that built the new Viola Desmond Elementary School near Glendale Secondary School.
Though now designated as a holding school for future use, the board let slip an initial plan to demolish Brock at an online January 2022 finance and facilities committee meeting.
Then-chair Dawn Danko confirmed staff were âlooking to demolish the facility to avoid any potential liability,â but wouldnât provide any more details.
âMaintaining an unoccupied building presents challenges and additional costs to the school board,â she said back then in an email response to a reporterâs inquiry.
Trustee Todd White, who represents the area, said he regularly gets calls and emails from neighbouring residents about the school and he expects the renovation plan will be well-received, even if the sequence of board approvals âis a bit out of place.â
The adult education centre wonât use the gym, which allows for potential partnership opportunities, including with the city, but the plan also preserves the property as a school site to accommodate residential growth, he said.
âItâs something that I think everyone supports. They do see the benefit of having that elementary school within their neighbourhood,â White said.
âThey donât like the look of the building unoccupied,â he said. âThe fact that the building would receive some upgrades and not simply have gates and other things around it, and look like itâs functioning, just improves the dynamic and look of the neighbourhood.â
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Metroland account holder. If you do not yet have a Metroland account, you can create one now (it is free).
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation