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A decade-long plan to turn an old school on Richmond Road into a francophone community service centre has been delayed again, say organizers.
The target for opening the centre is now the fall of 2019, a year later than estimated, said Linda Savard, the president of the French-language public school board, which is overseeing the project.
Savard said it took longer than expected to get all of the city approvals for the old Grant Alternative School at 2720 Richmond Rd.
The province promised $8.95 million last December to finally get the centre built after the project was repeatedly stalled by difficulty raising money and rising construction costs.
The city bought the surplus heritage school in 2008 to turn it over to the community group Centre Multiservices Francophone de l’Ouest d’Ottawa (CMFO). Construction began in 2015 but was abandoned when the group ran out of money. The project was revived after the school board agreed to take ownership of the property and manage the project in cooperation with CMFO.
When provincial funding was announced, Savard said she hoped the centre would open by this fall.
That was too ambitious, said Savard in an interview Thursday. But the school board expects to issue a call for construction bids in the next few weeks and work will start by September, she said.
Some nearby residents have fiercely opposed the project, calling it a boondoggle. They also object to a building originally bought by the city being handed over to the school board for $1, which was a key part of the complicated deal.
Plans call for the renovated former school to contain offices for francophone community groups on the main floor. The school board would operate an adult high school on the second floor, and the third floor would include classroom and office space for La Cité, a French-language college.
An annex attached to the building will be demolished and replaced with a building containing a gym, daycare centre and medical clinic.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Savard. “We strongly believe in having services for francophones in the west end of Ottawa.”
Neighbour Geoffrey Sharpe said residents nearby “have had it up to their eyeballs” with the project and fear the government is throwing good money after bad.
“Ten years. That building that was once an important community asset is now a boarded-up wreck.”
The city and province have spent a total of $15.146 million on the project.
Sharpe said he doubts there is a need for a francophone community centre, and the project is not in keeping with economic restraint.
He and several other residents tried to attend the CMFO’s annual general meeting Wednesday, but were asked to leave.
Ronald Bisson, the CMFO president, said annual meetings are only open to members, but he volunteered to answer any questions from residents before the meeting began.
Bisson said some neighbours may prefer a community centre that offers summer camps for kids and services for seniors on the land rather than having it sold to private developers for housing.
jmiller@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JacquieAMiller
查看原文...
The target for opening the centre is now the fall of 2019, a year later than estimated, said Linda Savard, the president of the French-language public school board, which is overseeing the project.
Savard said it took longer than expected to get all of the city approvals for the old Grant Alternative School at 2720 Richmond Rd.
The province promised $8.95 million last December to finally get the centre built after the project was repeatedly stalled by difficulty raising money and rising construction costs.
The city bought the surplus heritage school in 2008 to turn it over to the community group Centre Multiservices Francophone de l’Ouest d’Ottawa (CMFO). Construction began in 2015 but was abandoned when the group ran out of money. The project was revived after the school board agreed to take ownership of the property and manage the project in cooperation with CMFO.
When provincial funding was announced, Savard said she hoped the centre would open by this fall.
That was too ambitious, said Savard in an interview Thursday. But the school board expects to issue a call for construction bids in the next few weeks and work will start by September, she said.
Some nearby residents have fiercely opposed the project, calling it a boondoggle. They also object to a building originally bought by the city being handed over to the school board for $1, which was a key part of the complicated deal.
Plans call for the renovated former school to contain offices for francophone community groups on the main floor. The school board would operate an adult high school on the second floor, and the third floor would include classroom and office space for La Cité, a French-language college.
An annex attached to the building will be demolished and replaced with a building containing a gym, daycare centre and medical clinic.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Savard. “We strongly believe in having services for francophones in the west end of Ottawa.”
Neighbour Geoffrey Sharpe said residents nearby “have had it up to their eyeballs” with the project and fear the government is throwing good money after bad.
“Ten years. That building that was once an important community asset is now a boarded-up wreck.”
The city and province have spent a total of $15.146 million on the project.
Sharpe said he doubts there is a need for a francophone community centre, and the project is not in keeping with economic restraint.
He and several other residents tried to attend the CMFO’s annual general meeting Wednesday, but were asked to leave.
Ronald Bisson, the CMFO president, said annual meetings are only open to members, but he volunteered to answer any questions from residents before the meeting began.
Bisson said some neighbours may prefer a community centre that offers summer camps for kids and services for seniors on the land rather than having it sold to private developers for housing.
jmiller@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JacquieAMiller
查看原文...
