As Orillia students settle into a brand new secondary school this week, a plan to build a new high school in south Barrie - approved at the same time - is still on hold.
“You know, we had the funding for the Barrie school at the same time as the Orillia school,” said Kathi Wallace, Director of Education at the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB).
“Isn't that interesting? I’m still hopeful.”
While Orillia Secondary School was planned and built, Barrie’s new school was stalled several times. The latest delay happened when city council rejected the board’s plan to place the building on the southern part of the property.
City officials argue that the school building belongs on the northern most part of the property at Mapleview Drive and Prince William Way.
That dispute means the absolute earliest possible opening date for the new Barrie school is September, 2018.
"We've been ready to go since we acquired the property," said John Dance, superintendent of facility services at the SCDSB.
"We have the need now. I didn't think it was going to be this difficult."
A new site plan will be submitted to the city next week and Dance said he is hopeful that the revisions will result in approval from the city.
"We had support of the Planning Partnership ... and they are the experts in urban design," Dance said. "We will be taking their advice."
While the new school is needed to take pressure off of an over-crowded Innisdale Secondary, Dance said there are features that will benefit the Board and the City.
The plan for the 20-acre site includes two sports fields - and incorporates onemartificial track and an artificial turf for "all weather" use.
Artificial turf means a longer football season and an artificial track will be the first of its kind in the Simcoe County board. Dance says those upgrades will provide opportunities for the city to host major sporting events.
"It's the standard for any records and with two fields ... we can do a lot. The sports people understand the importance of what we will have, but there was no traction with the city."
If the revised site plan is approved next week, Dance said the development will be back on track for a 2018 opening.
However, if the plan - which keeps the school building at the same location as the original site plan - is rejected, the decision may end up at the Ontario Municipal Board and that means significant delays.
Students in the new school’s attendance area will attend Innisdale Collegiate.
The planning process for the south Barrie secondary school officially began in 2013, when the SCDSB received funding from the Ministry of Education.
Here is a timeline of events:
- 2013 - 2014
- Planning work and negotiations take place between SCDSB and City of Barrie staff, including discussions regarding location, orientation and size of the school.
- October 2014
- The SCDSB begins process of expropriating the school site in response to changing demands from local developers about the timing, location and size of the proposed school property.
- March 2015
- The SCDSB formally acquires ownership of property.
- SCDSB staff meet with City of Barrie staff for initial site plan pre-consultation meeting.
- June 2015
- SCDSB staff meet with City staff for follow-up meeting.
- Complete site plan is submitted to the City of Barrie.
- SCDSB staff present at the City of Barrie’s Infrastructure, Investment and Development Services Committee in an attempt to move the site plan process along.
- July - August 2015
- Additional meetings between SCDSB and City staff are held in an attempt to resolve issues related to the proposed design. An agreement cannot be reached agreement on the location of the school building on the site. The City of Barrie feels that locating the school on the south end of the property does not comply with its Urban Design Guidelines, and would prefer it to be on the northeast corner of the property at the corner of Mapleview Drive and Prince William Way.
- September 2015
- City staff present a report to council, recommending that that the SCDSB site plan be denied, citing the need for the school building to be located on the corner. The report also includes an alternate recommendation, based on the original site plan submission, that SCDSB and city staff would work together to develop.
- Council defers the vote on the site plan until meetings between SCDSB and city staff regarding a compromise solution could take place
- September – October 2015
- Multiple meetings take place between SCDSB and City staff. SCDSB staff propose a compromise that includes an educational facility on the corner of Mapleview Drive and Prince William Way, with the school building on the south end of the property as originally submitted.
- October 2015
- Barrie city council denies the SCDSB’s request for site plan approval and do not formally consider the compromise solution.
- January 2015
- SCDSB trustees receive a report that outlines potential next steps and options to move forward. The Board passes a motion directing staff to submit the revised site plan package to the City of Barrie. The motion also asks staff to continue work on the other options in case the City denies the new site plan.
- March 2016
- A new site plan is expected to be submitted to the City of Barrie. The hope is this revised site plan will satisfy the City’s requests and the approval will take place as quickly as possible.
