Future of vacant Rideau High School mulled at meeting

The possibility of transforming the former RideauHigh School into a community hubwas discussed at a meeting Tuesday night attended by morethan 40 people.

The Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre led the meeting at the St-Laurent Complex on Cot Street,which coincided with the first day of class for formerRideaustudents at their new school.

• School board closes Rideau High

Yacouba Traor, executive director of the resource centre, said his organization would be an anchor tenant for the proposedfacility, whichwould house a range of social, community and health services.

"If there is no school in that community, let's make sure that the community asset stays in and we replace the school with services that hopefully will also cater to the needs of children and youth," Traorsaid.

If successful, they hope to open the community hub by 2019, he said.

'Worst thing to happen would be an empty building'

The meeting included other community organizations, school board trustees, parents and other residents.

Some recommended using the school auditorium as a cultural venue, using kitchens and workshops for training programs, and more.

A handout given at the meeting listed theOdawaNative Friendship Centre, the Social Planning Council of Ottawa and a francophonecommunity health organization,quipedesantfamilialecommunautairedel'Estd'Ottawa,among the organizations working on a business plan.

SheilaPerry a member oftheFriendsof RideauHigh School group, which fought to keep the school openpointed out the province has identified community hubs as a priority for school boards.

"The worst thing to happen would be an empty building," she said.

Keeping school land public

The people behind the communuity hub proposal say their main priorityiskeeping the school its facilities and fieldsfor public use.

Shawn Menard, anOttawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) trustee for Rideau-Vanier/Capital,said the board still hasto decide whether it willkeep the school and its groundsor declare it surplus land, in which case it could be sold.

Some people at the meeting raised concerns about the possibility thatthe shuttered high school might have to turn back into a school at some point.

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Chris Ellis, the OCDSB trustee for Rideau Rockcliffe/Alta Vista, said the facilitycost between $200,000 and $300,000 peryear to operate, and that he doesn't want the board to shoulder the cost of maintaining the buildingshould the community hub fail.

"It's important for this group to come forward with a strong business plan, to give comfort to the school board, my fellow trustees and the district staff that if it goes forward it will be successful, and it won't come back,fall apart and the school board be stuck with that building and the cost of keeping that buildingmaintained."

Both Ellis and Menardexpressed support for keeping the facility in case it is eventually needed as a school again.

The Rideau-RockcliffeCommunity Resource Centreis working on presenting a business plan to the OCDSB by the end of October, Traorsaid.

Ifthe plan is approved, the centre wouldbegin securing tenants and renovating the school.