City, board reach land deal for new school
The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board says it needs nearly half of the property belonging to the city’s museum to build a new elementary school on abutting lands – and council is prepared to work with them on that.
The land belongs to the Peterborough Museum and Archives, which neighbours King George Public School.
The school board’s plan is to close King George Public School, along with nearby Armour Heights Public School, in September 2019; by then they will have built a modern new school on the property to replace it.
But to build that new school, the board needs a substantial slice of the museum’s property.
In exchange, the school board says it will help the city help pay for a new watermain and repairs to Museum Dr. (including a new sidewalk).
At a meeting Monday night, city councillors gave preliminary approval to that plan.
Councillors also agreed to work with the school board to help find a new use for the King George Public School, which is 104 years old and structurally sound.
Councillors asked city staff to write a report that considers all kinds of ways the city might be able to use the building.
It’s unlikely the museum and archives will move in, however: Ken Doherty, the city’s community services director, says museum officials have no interest in doing that.
Meanwhile, Coun. Lesley Parnell wants the city staff report to consider moving the Art Gallery of Peterborough into King George Public School.
The AGP is far too small for its location on Crescent St., and there’s a plan to either expand the building or move within a decade.
A recent architect’s report says it would cost about $11 million for a new building.
Parnell said if King George Public School is sound – and doesn’t need any expensive maintenance such as asbestos removal – it could be inexpensive to move the AGP there.
Add an elevator for accessibility, she said, and it could potentially cost no more than $300,000.
“We should at least look into it,” she said.
Parnell also said she wants the city to weigh in, regarding the design of the modern new school that’s about to be built.
She doesn’t want too much of a glass-and-steel contemporary look, she said, because it would detract from the 100-year-old King George School and the museum.
“We don’t want something that won’t fit into this beautiful new hub,” she said. “It has to be appropriate architecture.”
Coun. Dave Haacke said that while he cares about the fate of King George, he thinks it should be left in the hands of the school board.
“Let’s not take it on when the school board is quite capable,” he said.
Mayor Daryl Bennett cautioned that councillors were getting a bit ahead of themselves.
The plan on Monday was to simply partner up with the school board to allow them to make plans for their new building.
There’s time for a decision to come about on the fate of King George Public School, he said.
“What we have here is the start of the process.”