Open to suggestion

Citizens weigh in on ideas for use of former Pictou Academy building

Culture and community were listed as areas of interest during a public meeting focused on the future use of a vacant town-owned building.

Town council hosted an information session Wednesday where it asked about 60 people what they would want to see done with the former Pictou Academy if there were no concerns about money.

“The whole idea is to create a discussion,” said Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan. “I have people stop me and say the school can be this or that. This is an opportunity for us to reflect on what is important to us for a community.”

Some of the ideas brought forth by residents included turning it into a Celtic arts centre that would host Scottish dance classes, music and band sessions, workshops and seminars. It would be similar to the College of Piping in Prince Edward Island or the Gaelic College in Cape Breton.

Others said they would like to see it encompass all cultures including First Nations and Acadian while some people felt it could be used as community centre or meeting space for residents.

People also felt it could be a university outreach building, private school or charter school. Some felt it could be used as a boarding house for international students attending Pictou Academy or a learning centre.

It was also suggested the building could be the new home for the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library or the town hall.

Ryan told those attending that Wednesday’s meeting was an exercise to get people thinking about the future of the building. He said the town has yet to do any kind of engineering study on it to determine how it stands up structurally, but the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board listed about $180,000 in deferred capital upgrades to the building before turning it over to the town in December 2017.

He said new roofing has been done on sections of the building over the last 15 years, but there is water leaking into the auditorium. The electrical work would need to be upgraded. The school board also estimated it paid about $62,000 in oil to heat the building for a year.

Ryan said since it has taken over ownership of the former school in late December 2017, the town has spent $17,000 on heat and lights for the building.

“It costs the residents of the Town of Pictou money to have that sitting there every winter,” he said, “but it also costs you a lot of money if we decide to demolish it.”

The former school is currently insured by the town based on how much it would cost to demolish it. This was done in case something happened to it while it was vacant and it needed to be taken down.

Ryan said demolition would be a last option for the town because it believes the building is more than bricks and mortar, but now it is up to residents to come forth with solid ideas for its future.

He said council will review the comments from Wednesday’s session, update its website and invite ongoing public discussions. It will be calling for expressions of interest as well as investigating financial implications for the town and, finally, council will make a decision on what to do with the building.

“There is no timeline here,” he said. “If someone does come forward, council will need to examine the costs. Will the town own the building? Will it rent it? Call and we will talk about your ideas.”