Grant School makeover gets reboot, with a catch
After $6.2M already, backers seek $9M more for community centre
A non-profit group struggling to transform an old school on Richmond Road into a community centre for francophones has a new plan to complete the project after years of delays, rising costs and fund-raising troubles.
The city and provincial governments have spent $6.196 million on the project since Grant School was closed a decade ago, but today the stately brick heritage building is boarded up, with renovations halted more than a year ago after the non-profit group ran out of money.
Now the group says it has a way to rescue its Maison de la francophonie d’Ottawa project: the French public school board has joined as a partner. The board has agreed to take ownership of the property, finish the renovations and build a new gym/community room with a kitchen in return for using some of the space.
If it works out, the French school board will get a new adult high school and the francophone community will have its long-awaited community centre.
The plan, however, will require $9 million more in government funds, the partners say. The school board has requested that amount from the province for construction costs, said Linda Savard, president of the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario.
The plan also requires the City of Ottawa to agree that Grant School can be transferred from the ownership of the non-profit group to the school board for $1.
It’s a natural partnership for the school board, Savard said. The board has no adult high school in the west end and had already planned to rent space in the Maison de la francophonie building for that purpose, she said. The board also supports the idea of a francophone community hub, she said.
The school board has the expertise in construction and property management to complete the project, said Ronald Bisson, spokesman for the board of the non-profit group Centre Multiservices Francophone de l’Ouest d’Ottawa (CMFO).
The city councillor for the ward, Mark Taylor, supports the idea. One reason the non-profit group has run into trouble is that it’s a complicated project run by volunteers, he said.
Many of the neighbours around Grant School are skeptical, to put it kindly. They use phrases like fiasco, boondoggle and money pit to describe the project, and they are upset about the derelict building. This summer, unidentified individuals broke into the school and the annex attached to it. Security patrols are being increased, and a wooden fence was recently erected along Richmond Road in front of the property.
“This place was supposed to be operational years ago and all we see is a boarded-up school with a fence around it,” said Roland Reebs, who owns two houses on a nearby street. “The confidence we have in the whole project is zero. On the other hand, anything can be finished if you put enough money into it.”
The uncertainty affects property values, he said. “Do I stay here? Do I sell? How will this affect my lifestyle?” He worries about vandalism and the risk of fire. “If somebody puts it on fire, it may not be just the building that goes up in flames.”
Reebs is one of a group of about 30 residents who keep tabs on the project. It’s not easy to get information about what is going on, creating mistrust, they say. Some of them question the need for a francophone community centre and others doubt the ability of the non-profit group to manage it.
Geoffrey Sharpe is outraged by the proposal to transfer ownership of Grant School from CMFO to the French school board for $1. “Ha ha, what nerve!” he said. “The City of Ottawa is not in the business of giving a property worth more than $2 million to a school board that didn’t show the slightest interest in (buying) the property when it was for sale.”
The city is involved because it bought Grant School in 2008 for the non-profit group to develop a community centre. The school was declared surplus by the Ottawa-Carleton English public school board in 2007.
The city bought the school and 5.1 acres of surrounding land for $3.94 million and divided it into two parcels.
The section containing the school, Parcel A, then worth $1.94 million, was transferred to CMFO for the community centre. CMFO cannot now transfer that property to the French school board for $1 without the approval of city council.
Sharpe and other neighbours say the city should take back the school and either sell the property for commercial development, like condos, or hold it for a future community use.
Under the original agreement, the portion of land at the back of the school property, Parcel B, was to be sold to CMFO for $2 million to develop a seniors housing co-op and long-term care facility. Those ideas didn’t pan out, though, so the city still owns that land.
The school board now says it wants to buy Parcel B from the city to build a gym/community room/kitchen as part of the adult high school. The board is discussing the idea with city staff, Savard said. Taylor says the school board would have to pay market price for that portion of the land.
Both Bisson and Taylor say the latest plan respects the original intention of the city’s investment: to create a community centre.
“It’s the exact same concept,” Bisson said. “The only thing that’s changing is the ownership of the building, the landlord.”
In fact, the community centre will have more space because the school board has agreed that community groups will be able to use the gym during off hours, he said.
Details of what groups will rent space and the “governance model” still have to be worked out. There will be a daycare, Savard said. The community centre could include services for seniors and youths, employment help, health care and cultural activities.
Bisson and Savard are confident they’ll have no problem finding tenants, saying several community groups that wanted to rent space back in 2010 are still interested.
The school board declined to provide a copy of the agreement with CMFO, but said it was a “longterm” deal. It was approved at an in-camera meeting because it involved property negotiations. The school board has agreed to continue to allow community groups to rent space in the building, Savard said.
Since the agreement with CMFO was signed in October 2016, the school board has paid to maintain the boarded-up building at a cost of $30,000 a month.
That, too, has raised eyebrows among neighbours. Why should the school board pay for a building it doesn’t own in the hope the project will eventually be completed? wonders Graham Patterson.
“That is money for chalk — if they still use chalk — and notebooks that won’t be spent because
it’s being thrown away on Grant School.”
The Grant School project has experienced numerous delays since the city approved the community centre plan in 2010.
When construction finally began in the spring of 2015, workers discovered more asbestos than anticipated and unexpected structural problems. By 2016, Bisson warned the $4.2-million renovation of the school could need an extra $3 million.
Construction was eventually halted when the group ran out of money.
Fundraising efforts, including a campaign launched in 2015 and co-chaired by Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau, faltered.
The group had initially hoped to raise about $2 million, but so far has collected $400,000, Bisson said.
Nearly another $1 million had been pledged, but the CMFO told those donors it expected to be able to issue charitable tax receipts. Then Revenue Canada denied the group charitable status because of its role as a landlord.
“That put an end to the fundraising,” Bisson said. The pledges were never collected.
Bisson says he understands why neighbours are frustrated, but is confident the project will be completed. He dreams of the building and the gorgeous land around it being used for everything from summer camps to concerts. “When it’s done it will be a beautiful project. We will respect the environment, we will respect the heritage property, and the neighbours will be pleased and proud.” He volunteers about 20 hours a week working for Maison de la francophonie d’Ottawa, Bisson said.
“You know the difference between a pit bull and the FrancoOntarian community?” he asked. “Eventually, the pit bull gets tired and gives up.”
You know the difference between a pit bull and the Franco-Ontarian community? Eventually, the pit bull gets tired and gives up.