Dear Editor:
RE: Neighbours don’t want to see high school on Strathallan Street, June 6.
I attended the open house on May 28 for a new Catholic high School in Centre Wellington, situated on the recently designated “surplus” Strathallan Park.
Building here results in the loss of a daily-used park during school hours. It also means wasted money when the two newer outdoor classrooms are demolished to make room for the new building.
About three dozen mature trees (some memorial, purchased to honour a loved one) would be gone. They currently contribute to the control of the high water table in this area. Filling a large portion of this lot with brick, cement and asphalt opens up the concern of where the water will go.
Current societal increases in security lockdowns, violence, smoking, vaping, drugs, bullying, sexual experience, litter, vandalism and graffiti present other worries. Do you want the younger students exposed to all this when using the combined recreational space? Believing that this won’t come to Fergus is naïve.
Traffic is one of the biggest and possibly most dangerous concerns. Adding this school means three schools in a two- to three-block established, already busy and rapidly growing (206 new housing and seven more retail units approved) residential area.
With increased traffic, comes an increase in the chance of someone getting seriously injured or worse.
In the hopefully never needed chance that there is an emergency within the school building itself, will there be enough free space left to evacuate everyone in a timely, organized and safe manner?
With all this in mind, I wrote the Ministry of Education to ask that they not okay the placement of a school at this site. Paul Bloye, director of the ministry’s capital programs branch, replied to my concern.
It seems that the only consideration in determining funding is the actual need for a new school. Once this has been approved, the local school board decides on the location. Did he just not mention other conditions? Did he forget to mention attach to an existing building?
This lot is too small to handle the predicted future enrolment numbers. By the time all is built, both schools will be beyond capacity. There will be no room for additions to either. Why not use foresight? Pick a site and design that leaves room for additions to both schools. Don’t waste resources.
Be responsible to taxpayers and students and the community. Put the school elsewhere!
Bernice Robinet,
Fergus