Pictou wants details on ownership of Academy
Sometimes no news is not good news, says the mayor of Pictou.
Mayor Jim Ryan said Monday the town wants to know more about the ins and outs of operating the building currently called Pictou Academy, before it is handed ownership in July.
He said since it found out in early April that the historic building currently housing grades 9-12 would be closed, it has asked for information from the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board on building information, but it has yet to receive a reply.
The town has requested information in two emails to the board asking first for information about the operating and maintenance costs over the last five years on the Pictou Academy building and in a second email it asked about the Academy gymnasium, which it thinks is on the property of the older Pictou Academy rather than Dr. Thomas McCulloch.
Ryan said the town also wants to know more about water and sewer systems between Pictou Academy and Dr. Thomas McCulloch as well as power lines and parking spaces.
“If you are turning a piece of property back to the town, we expect it will be unencumbered in those ways,” Ryan said.
The Chignecto-Central Regional School Board recommended in April following a lengthy school review process that Pictou Elementary School become a P-8 school with Dr. Thomas McCulloch housing grades 9-12.
Due to provincial legislation stating there has to be a Pictou Academy in the town, Dr. Thomas McCulloch will be renamed Pictou Academy and a new naming committee has been accepting recommendations for Pictou Elementary. The town is expected to receive the keys by the end of July.
Ryan said he has heard from neighbouring municipalities that have gone through the process that municipal units are basically handed the keys by the school board, but he feels this situation deserves a little more input since it will still have a school operating next to it.
“If the town decides to do something with the old PA building in the future, it has to make sure these things are done so it’s prepared to be sold,” he said.
Ryan said he has been disappointed with the entire school review process and the lack of input the town had in the process. He said now it is expected to soon receive a substantial piece of real estate that it knows little about and is linked to a neighbouring property.
“One thing that I discovered over this period there is really no transparent real way for towns to have a say. Not only being down and configuring classes and decisions made in April but in this process in making transitions. A lot anxiety in schools among kids, among staff, we still do not know what they are going to do about family studies and industrial arts classes. Labs at the new high schools, where are they are going to have assemblies? This could have all been phased in over a year or two.”
He said the town has not discussed what it will do with the building once it receives ownership in July.
“There are lots of people suggesting things. People are interested in the building and using it for something connected to the community and education, but there has to be some useful purpose for it and it would have to sustain itself to a certain degree.”