After a very public heated debate, shovels are in the ground at Bishop Townshend Public School as it morphs into East Carling Public School.
Come fall 2016, East Carling will accommodate students from Lorne Avenue Public School which is slated to close at the end of next school year.
The renovations were initially to be completed by the start of the 2015-2016 school year, but a delay in funding from the province pushed the completion date back.
"I think it has been a long process to get here, but what I find with these kinds of reviews is that once a decision is made students move forward. Students are very resilient and they just want to be with their friends and be together, they can do that in lots of different schools," says Thames Valley District School Board Trustee Peter Jaffee. "We certainly expect to be on budget and on target."
Meanwhile, others are not as optimistic.
"This is a $3.75-million project and I'm now hearing it's going to be topping $10-million, from a taxpayer's perspective it's quite the difference and it's not something I'd be please with and it's all based on the funding formula," says Scott McLean of the Lorne Avenue Public School Parents' Council. "It's obviously flawed and if it's costing us more money for a lower result, then it just doesn't make sense to me."
Following an extensive accommodation review, the TVDSB decided to close the 137-year-old Lorne Avenue Public School due to upkeep costs.
The city has purchased the school and the land on which it sits. It is unclear what will happen to the site, but city planners have said there is a lack of park space in that area.
