The historic Sir James Douglas elementary school joins Sexsmith community school in leasing limbo after being deemed seismically unsafe for students.
While a new facility is being built on the opposite end of the large Victoria Drive property, the Vancouver School Board is looking for a partner to lease the old building, which will either be cost-neutral or bring in revenue for the school board.
Preferable options for the VSB would be an art gallery, a post-secondary facility or a community centre.
We havent been successful in the areas of interest we have been looking for, said school board chair Patti Bacchus.
Interest has come from other schools, but were constructing the new building because the old one is not safe for student use. Were still looking for a new use that would suit the community.
In other cases, the VSB has been able to upgrade buildings in order to meet safety standards, but in the case of Sir James Douglas, constructing a new building on the same property was the most viable option leaving an empty heritage building behind.
We know that people in Vancouver value heritage buildings, Bacchus said. The City of Vancouver has requirements as well. They want to keep heritage buildings and wont give us license to develop or demolish the building until we explore other options.
Sir James Douglas is in a similar situation as other heritage schools: Carleton Hall, and more recently Sexsmith elementary school on Ontario Street near 59th Avenue.
Carleton Hall was charred beyond ruins, according to Green Thumb Theatres artistic director Patrick McDonald before his company leased the building and had it restored. The deal took place in the 11th hour the province had already committed $75,000 to its demolition. With Sexsmith, however, the VSB has been unsuccessful in finding a suitable leaser and is now considering allowing it to be used for commercial or residential purposes if it can save the building.
Bacchus noted that a company like Green Thumb Theatre would be a welcomed solution for Sir James Douglas, and that the VSB is willing to hold out for a suitable partner.
One of the nice factors is that were not pressed for time, Bacchus said. There have been other situations in the past where people are looking for solutions while the building is scheduled for demolition. With Sir James Douglas we have time to look at other options.
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