Heritage designation proposed for school
How King George Public School building in East City will be used once it closes as elementary school remains unknown
King George Public School could soon have a heritage designation.
The 105-year-old school in East City is expected to close soon. So is Armour Heights Public School; the two will merge into a new school that will be built on the King George property.
But it’s unclear exactly when those school closures - or construction of the new school - will take place.
The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board announced in February that the original plan to have a new school open in September 2019 has been delayed due to design challenges on the steeply inclined property.
Meanwhile it’s been expected all along that King George School would be reused - and now it appears that plan is taking a step forward.
On Monday at City Hall, councillors will consider placing a heritage designation on the building. City staff recommend it, stating in the report that the building is “an important local landmark.”
“It displays a high level of craftsmanship in its interior and exterior architectural features,” the report states.
When it was built, the school was fitted with interior plumbing - new at
the time - and also an early version of forced-air heating and air conditioning “that was, for its time, extremely modern.”
The school board hasn’t yet announced its plans for repurposing King George School.
At the same meeting on Monday, councillors are also expected to consider rezoning a piece of land that will be conveyed from the adjacent Peterborough Museum and Archives property to allow a flatter property for the new school.
The city plans to convey 1.75 acres of museum land to the school board and it must be rezoned to allow a school.
The land being conveyed is located south and west of the museum’s curatorial centre, next to the King George property.
Councillors will consider the plans at a general committee meeting on Monday at City Hall. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.