THE North Vancouver school board has voted to sell the shuttered Ridgeway Annex to property developer Anthem for roughly $5.1 million - the first of what could be several school sales in the years ahead.
The decision passed with a 4-2 vote this week.
While the majority on the school board agreed selling the land was a tough but necessary decision, there was spirited opposition on the philosophical grounds that the land should remain public.
Trustee Susan Skinner led the charge to stop the sale, saying selling Ridgeway Annex would be set a precedent.
"I don't feel we have enough information on community needs for today and the future," she said. Skinner said the mandate of the school district has expanded to include other community needs, and suggested surveying other relevant public service agencies to gauge their current and future requirements.
But her motion only found one other supporter in trustee Barry Forward. Forward, who oversaw the process to determine the future of the closed schools, said the process had been good, but that it had not gone far enough. "We have to look long term and we have to look holistic and I don't see that right now."
But those who voted for the sale argued that it was the most prudent thing to do given the district's financial obligations. Money raised from the sale will go to pay down a $7.2-million debt. The board borrowed the money in the early 2000s to fund the renovations on Sutherland secondary and Westview elementary, on the condition that the debt be paid by Dec. 31, 2015 through the future sale of surplus assets.
Secretary treasurer Georgia Allison said the district ran the risk of missing the debt repayment deadline and being forced by the province into a payback schedule if it did not sell Ridgeway Annex.
"The funds would come directly out of the classroom because that's the only place it could come from - the operating budget," she said. "It would be a significant impact. If we had to pay for it over a two-year period, we would be looking at staff reductions of 36 teachers."
The school district doesn't know what the form the development on the site will take as Anthem has presented several configurations ranging from single-family homes to townhouses. But in order for the price tag to make sense, it would take at least nine single family homes, according to staff.
Trustee Mike McGraw was sympathetic to the keep-itpublic sentiment, but decided after "much soul searching" that selling the land to Anthem is the only realistic option. "At the end of the day, it's really up to who comes to me to present me with an offer. That's the difficulty that we're in," he said.
Board chairwoman Franci Stratton noted Ridgeway Annex's neighbours were looking for a resolution about the future of the property. She said those neighbours will be able to voice any concerns about the future development through a rezoning process at the City of North Vancouver.
Trustee Christie Sacré recused herself from the discussion as she lives directly across from the school but made a general statement on the sale of schools, reminding the board of its number one job.
"I believe we all as trustees are open to working with different community partners to do what is best for our community with regards to the properties, but we are school trustees, not municipal councillors. Our job is to protect the interest of our students as our first priority and maintaining unused buildings at approximately $30,000 per year, per site on average, is not helping them," she said.
