"Just another brick in the wall"
The past few years have witnessed an increasingly fractious
relationship between the community and the New Westminster School
Board, particularly around issues like the location of the new middle
school, redevelopment of the secondary school, the future of Massey
Theatre and the proposed arts facility.
At the outset, let me say that the proposal currently on the table is a very positive one, with
a vast array of benefits for the community. There are however, many
unresolved issues which the community needs to be aware of.
First and foremost is that the determination of the location of a third middle school is no
further ahead than it was three years ago. An opportunity to learn
more about the genesis of this predicament presented itself when I
booked an appointment with the then Minister of Children and family
Development, Christy Clark, to discuss some issues relevant to that
ministry. When we concluded that piece of business, we moved to
issues in her previous ministry, Education.
I asked her some questions about the High School development and the possibility for site
acquisition money for a third middle school. Her reply? Her exact
words were: "The New Westminster School Board application
leap-frogged ahead of other applications that were more worthy
because there was no need for site acquisition money for the high
school nor for the middle school."
I ask you to think about that statement. Certainly, in light of it, many things become more
clear.
The residential towers, the proposal for a west side middle school to be built on the high
school site, the virtual absence of meaningful consultation, the way
the entire process played out, all fit into a pattern.
It was thought by many, including me, that with the injection of new provincial funds, the
City and the Board having reached agreement on the ownership and
operations model for the theatre, that the Board would get on with
the business of delivering education services and retire from the
development game. Not so, we find. Recently I attended a presentation
of the conceptual design for the new Arts Center (more later), at
which the City was presented with an updated model of the entire
development. As I said earlier, there are a lot of positives in this
proposal, as well as some areas of concern. One key feature of this
new plan is a large surface parking lot west of the Massey Theatre,
and stretching from Eighth Ave north to Dublin St. - about half of
that block. This parking lot is bounded by the west wall of the
school complex and runs for over 100 meters ( 330 ft.) and is up to
30 feet in height. Most important though is the fact that the wall
is windowless (i.e. blank) and built to the lot line so that, at some
future point, the School Board can re-apply to build the three towers
that were resoundingly rejected by the community a few months ago.
This is not conjecture on my part, the point was candidly stated by
the architect for the project. Either the board has learned little
from its previous attempt, or it has a complete disregard for the
civic planning process and the values expressed clearly by the
citizens of New Westminster when the proposal was considered and
rejected.
When almost every school site in New Westminster is undersized for
their current enrollment
and future projections, it is difficult to understand that in a growing
community there would be thought of selling school property. It is time
to reconsider, and apply to the Province for site
acquisition money for a third middle school.
Who knows what the face of public education will be like in the
decades to come? Will it include
child care and family literacy centers? Early childhood programming?
What will be the space requirements in future years? In New Westminster
land is already scarce - let’s not exacerbate the
problem. For me, taking green space out of the public domain is just
not on.
These issues will be important in the upcoming election. Voters will be well served to ask
school board, council and mayoralty candidates where they stand on these and other related issues.
Where do they stand on the sale of school land? On the siting of the
middle school? In 1999 I
made, and council passed, a motion to preserve Moody Park for parks and
recreation purposes only. Where do the candidates stand on this issue?
I think I have made it abundantly clear where I stand.
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Resonse to post
Written by Garth Gendron on 2005-08-19 18:29:05
One of the most significant developments that will influence the city for generations to come is the development of the Mercer block (the new high school, the refurbishing of Massey Theatre, new sports fields and facilities, and a new arts centre complex). While the end result will be marvelous, the entire process, from the negotiation to the finalization stages, was very haphazard and very stressful for the whole community.
You introduced your common-sense proposal that a land-use study be done and that community input be invitd and encouraged to be included to be part of the process. Initially, all of council endorsed that notion until it came time to vote to make it so. Instead of staying with the land-use study plan,(with exception of Councillor Dobrolvony) the Mayor and Council strayed from that plan. Though cost-based reasons were cited for rejecting that a land-use study be done, in the eyes of eyes of the community, the benefits of the study far outweighed the cost figure that was quoted, and we were eager to give input. Many rationalized that the decision to reject the land-use study was merely an exercise in ego-based politicking because, certainly, the wishes of the community were not taken into account.
As a consequence of that a ground-swell of residents had to resort to injecting citizen input on their own initiative (thank goodness!); though it was not enough pressure to make Council re-think the benefits of a land-use study, the citizens were finally able to bring enough pressure to have Council reject the School board's plans to sell off the corner of 8th Avenue and 8th Street for high rise towers. To say the least, the whole episode was a far cry from what you call "principle-based decision making."
To quote your candidacy address, citizens are "reservoirs of knowledge, of passion, of commitment," and we should be viewed "as a resource or partner"; we shouldn't have to forcibly counsel Council and we should be able to trust Trustees.
Having considered your post "another brick in the wall", it is most disconcerting that the school board achieved approval for its two new capital projects by telling the ministry of education that there was no need for land acquisition for the third middle school, and further that they obviously intend to reapply for high-rise development on the corner of 8th Avenue and 8th Street. It is entirely incongruent that they can complain to the hometown crowd that there is no money for a middle school, and it is especially puzzling as to why they seem intent on ignoring the wishes of the electorate who "resoundingly rejected" the concept of towers on that corner.
Indeed, as you suggest, "voters will be well served to ask the school board, council and mayoralty candidates where they stand on these and other related issues". But the real question is, will we receive honest answers? One thing that is certain - you have my support.
| Written by James Janzen on 2005-10-06 12:02:04
I would like to comment on a number of points Mr. Cook has brought up in his little essay:
1. The New Westminster School Board has absolutely no intention of reviving the application for the 3 towers. Why would we? The purpose of the the proposal was mainly to fund underground parking at the new high school (approximately $9 million) and improvements to the Massey Theatre Approx. $5million). Since it is too late to build the parking and the School board is swapping the theatre for other land we need on the site, there would be no purpose for developing the site.
2. The School board has no intention of building a middle school in Moody park. Council has passed a motion explicitly preventing any development in Moody Park.
3. The School board had many public meetings to consult with the public about our towers project. Many of the comments are on our web site. It is unfortunate that Mr. Cook is unable to recognize as valid any process that differs from the ones he is used to. The School Board intended to gather public comments and make a decision as to whether to proceed with the application. Our public process was comprehensive and gave many opportunities for public input.
4. On the issue of process Mr. Cook moved his motion to prevent any development in Moody Park at a council meeting with no public notice and no chance for public input.
Mr. Cook moved his motion to force the School Board to withdraw the 3 towers proposal at the end of a council meeting with no public notice and no chance for public input.
The School Board and the City have had an excellent relationship over the years. The School Board wants to continue that good relationship for the benefit of all the citizens of the city.
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