CollingwoodToday welcomes letters to the editor. They can be submitted via the site, or emailed to [email protected]. Please include your name, address, and phone number for verification. The following letter was submitted in response to a recent article about Simcoe County council supporting the campaign to have a high school built in Wasaga Beach.
I agree with Mayor (Yvonne) Hamlin that a new Wasaga high school will affect all of west Simcoe and greater consideration is needed.
Everyone agrees that it is unfortunate that nearly 700 secondary students in Wasaga have to travel out of town to school. But with Elmvale and Stayner having excess capacity to the point of having Grade 7 and 8 students, and Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI) with only four portables, it is difficult to see the Ministry of Education making Wasaga a priority when so many schools, including the south of our county, are in need for space.
Collingwood would survive a new Wasaga high school with approximately 900 students, but it would be hard, especially on Elmvale. Elmvale and Stayner because of their small size cannot offer the same number of courses nor a complete slate of extracurricular activities.
Students have to gone to Barrie Eastview or CCI to get other courses. The best solution, although not politically popular, is to turn Elmvale and Stayner into community centres and build a regional high school in Wasaga.
CCI, which when the new Banting High School in Alliston is completed, will be the oldest high school in the county (the core was completed in 1954).
The town and partners should seriously look at allowing a new CCI to build at Central Park, relocating the ball diamonds, outdoor rink and lawn bowling, and using the present CCI for a cultural centre (the gyms for theatres, the library for visual art, etc. and using the north end of the building for affordable housing. It would be close to downtown, and have parking.
Regardless, there needs to be a great deal of thought before decisions are eventually made.
Rob Potter
Collingwood
