Former River John school has new owner

In addition, Town of Pictou takes over former academy building

The ownership of two Pictou County schools has changed hands.

The former River John Elementary School has been purchased by area fisherman Nicholas Bigney after county council approved its sale during a January meeting, while the Town of Pictou has taken ownership of the former high school building.

Bigney said Tuesday he decided to purchase the building after hearing in the media it was going to be demolished in 2018.

“It just came to me,” he said, adding that he is looking at immediately turning a portion of the school into selfstorage units while the community has been sharing thoughts on what can be done in other areas of the building.

“My phone has been exploding with people contacting me,” he said. “People who contacted me mentioned a woodworking shop, day care, salons and a store.”

Bigney said he is interested in “getting 100 per cent out of the building” but his first focus will be establishing the storage units as well as replacing the roof.

The former consolidated school, which closed in 2015, has been vacant since June after the lease with the River John Action Society expired and the county opted to see if the building would sell.

County staff announced in September 2017 that it only received interest from one person in the building and since all of the inspection information was provided there hasn’t been any other response.

Staff recommended, due to the lack of interest, that the building be demolished in the New Year.

The county spent $50,000 in 2014-2015 to cover the cost of heat, lights and snow clearing and an additional $35,000 as of April 2017.

The demolition was expected to cost the county about $500,000 and was included in the 2017-2018 budget.

Meanwhile, the keys of the former Pictou Academy building are now in the hands of the Town of Pictou.

Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan announced during a committee of the whole meeting Monday that the town took over control of the former high school on Dec. 21.

This is about four months after the projected deadline for the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board to turn over ownership of the school to the town after it moved high school students into the neighbouring junior high building this September.

“We are heating and insuring it and keeping security in place for now,” said Ryan. “We are hoping to do some consultations with the community in the near future for people to express their views before anything is decided.”

“My phone has been exploding with people contacting me … “People who contacted me mentioned a woodworking shop, day care, salons and a store.” Nicholas Bigney, who purchased the former River John Elementary School

Ryan said there have been some “ideas” for the school from the community but no offers to purchase it. He said the ownership of the building is not something the town wants to have to carry over for years.

After a lengthy school review process, the CCRSB decided in the spring of 2017 that the former Pictou Academy building would close. Out of the town’s three schools, it was the one that needed the most repairs and with declining enrolments it was possible to move grades 9-12 into the neigbouring junior high building while grades primary to 8 are now housed in the former elementary school, renamed McCulloch Education Centre.

Once schools are no longer needed by the CCRSB it is their policy to turn them over to the municipalities they reside in. Municipalities can do with the buildings what they like, including demolishing or selling them.

In addition to keeping the heat on, the town is also in the process of subdividing the land between the former school and the gymnasium.

Ryan said the subdivision is being done so if the former academy is ever sold, it won’t slow down any sale process.