West harbour floated as possible site for new education centre
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ucation-centre
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board chair Tim Simmons says a newly formed task force should reconsider the west harbour as a possible home for the board’s new headquarters.
“I think it’s something we could ask about,” Simmons said Thursday. “We were very excited about that option.”
In 2010, the board ranked the site among the top three locations for its new education centre, but the high cost of remediating the industrial lands — estimated to be anywhere between $3 million and $37 million — ultimately led it to select the former Crestwood school site near Mohawk and Upper Wentworth for its new $31-million headquarters instead.
Now that the board has agreed to partner with the city to look into options in the core, however, the four-hectare property deserves another look — at least according to Simmons.
The west harbour, he said, has always had appeal for the board. In addition to its central location, it could also house both the board’s administrative and maintenance operations, something the city’s preferred option — a second tower behind City Hall — can’t accommodate.
Moreover, the nearly $1 million already invested in consultations and planning for the Crestwood facility wouldn’t go to waste, since the development also fits within the Barton-Tiffany neighbourhood.
Councillor Jason Farr — who, along with Councillor Brian McHattie, is behind the city’s last-minute push to keep the board in the core — said he’s willing to explore the option.
“If chair Simmons wants to entertain that or any other location, well then obviously, the task force will entertain it,” Farr said. “I’ll talk about the west harbour, I’ll talk about the second tower — I’ll talk about anything. You pick a block where it’s feasible and we’ll throw it out there for the task force to digest.”
McHattie, meanwhile, is open to considering the option, but said he’d prefer the board to stay in “the downtown proper.”
He also noted additional challenges with the harbour site, cleanup costs notwithstanding.
Recently, for instance, the Ontario Municipal Board backed a city proposal for commercial and residential development in the area, which means the site would have to be rezoned before the school board could put shovels in the ground.
The city would also stand to lose valuable tax dollars if the proposed development is axed, since the school board is exempt from paying municipal taxes.
The education centre task force, which will be assembled with members of city council and trustees in the coming days, is to report back to the board with its findings in a month.