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Public meeting being held on future of old Crofton Elementary School site

Cowichan Valley School District will hear proposals at information session May 30
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Cowichan Valley School District 79 will be holding an open meeting May 30 to decide what to do with the old Crofton Elementary School site. (File photo by Don Bodger)

Determining the future of the old abandoned Crofton Elementary School site is now under the total control of Cowichan Valley School District 79.

Crofton community member Shannon Carlow was instrumental as the lead on this project. Carlow and Dan Robin, who’ve worked long and hard behind the scenes toward ensuring the old school is torn down and the land used for other purposes, are pleased with the news.

Robin said the School District now has the title to the land, as of last week.

“They make all the calls,” he indicated. “Their call is to dispose of the property.”

Robin added the provincial government changed the parameters for slippage funding so it’s only provided now for rural properties with no value. That struck the old Crofton Elementary site from the criteria for funding.

The ball is now in the court of the School District 79 Board of Education to make a decision on how to dispose of it.

“The Board is very pleased to be holding a community meeting to talk about the old Crofton Elementary school,” noted Board of Education Chair Candace Spilsbury. “We finally have all the information about the property and we can move forward on a process to make it a more pleasing property for the community.”

The community meeting will take place on Thursday, May 30 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the new Crofton Elementary school.

“Information will be taken back to the School Board,” said Robin.

Property costs will include the demolition of the school, he added. “Nobody’s going to buy the property with the school on it.”

With the construction and opening of the new Crofton Elementary school in 2009, the old building has sat vacant for a decade. The board is now excited to start the discussion on what should happen with that site.

In preparation for the meeting, the board is asking interested parties to help by providing their ideas and/or questions through a quick survey prior to the public meeting if desired.

A link to the survey can be found on the School District’s Facebook page at facebook.com/cowichanschools.



Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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