Dear Editor:
RE: Council declares Strathallan Park surplus, opens door for new Catholic high school in Fergus, Feb. 1.
It has come to our family’s attention that there are possible plans to construct a Catholic high school at Strathallan park.
I am a longtime resident of Parkside Drive East whose backyard is one of the many that back onto the green space that Centre Wellington council has recently approved to be declared as “surplus property.”
This new designation brings a lot of confusion to us and our neighbours.
Firstly, we can’t understand how this park, which is used regularly by the children of families on surrounding streets, by FEDS soccer and ultimate frisbee, can be deemed as surplus. It is stated on Infrastructure Ontario that the purpose of declaring and selling surplus government property is to “put properties back into productive use, benefiting communities and increasing the potential for local economic development.”
With regards to this space, these intentions ignore the fact that the park is being utilized as is.
It’s far reaching to state a high school would be more beneficial when there is not only limited space to provide all the amenities required, but also an existing issue with traffic and speeders on Strathallan.
Given the space is fenced on three sides, we worry what the addition of so many students, staff, and buses would look like with only one access street – notably short and shared with a primary school.
Additionally, a high school needs a large parking lot, a field, gymnasium, library, cafeteria, and classrooms. There is simply not enough space in that area to integrate all that is needed while maintaining enough space between the surrounding infrastructure. It is not to say that a Catholic high school is not needed in our township.
However, the students that would attend both the primary and high school deserve better than a plan using such limited space.
Catherine Daultrey,
Fergus