Bridgeport closure a bad decision

The deeper our group digs the more shocked we are by how little the school board and government care about the students involved in the school closures in Glace Bay, Dominion and Reserve areas.

The Bridgeport school property was put on the surplus list in May. It is valued at $1.6 million. The properties that John Bernard Croak Memorial (KBC) and Tompkins Elementary are on have clear signs of subsidence so really have no value.

I have heard so many times that there is no way our school board would ever put our kids into an unsafe building. MacDonald Elementary is not on the surplus list as it has been handed over to the federal government because of subsidence. When was the decision made that the building could not be put on the surplus list? How long did they know that they had to close this school and get the students out?

Nothing was mentioned about this to the School Options Committee members when some of them were still looking to put a gym on the property. How long were the students left in that building knowing it was not safe?

Some of us are not happy with the drop-off area for students at JBC. The property adjacent to JBC also is property of the federal government because of subsidence so the parking areas cannot be expanded. Still they say the school is safe and there is no worry about it subsiding.

Bridgeport School is a great piece of property to purchase for seniors’ apartments. With the sewer and water already on the property it would take a big chunk out of the cost of purchasing a vacant piece of land.

It looks like the profit from property is much more important then the safety of our students. Brenda MacLean Bridgeport