Council defers demolition vote for next meeting
CENTRAL MANITOULIN—The sand is running out for the historic old Mindemoya Old School building, but Central Manitoulin council has opted to give the hourglass another turn, albeit only for a couple of weeks until the next council meeting.
The recommendation for demolition came from the Property Committee meeting of September 12 and was originally moved by Councillor Alex Baran and Councillor Dale Scott and read: “that we recommend to council that after public consultation and no resulting proposals for viable repurposing, that staff is directed to develop an RFP (request for proposals) and advertise this fall for the demolition of the Mindemoya Old School to occur in the spring of 2018.”
Councillor Derek Stephens moved the motion, seconded by Councillor Baron, accepting the Property Committee recommendation.
Councillor Stephens began the debate noting that the old Mindemoya School building has been an ongoing issue in the community, but that after public consultation there has been no solid proposition or proposal put forward by anyone to actually move a project forward. “I agree it is a beautiful building,” he said, but noted that it will cost between $500,000 and a million dollars to bring the building up to standard and that he did not think that “would be spending money properly.”
“I agree with a great deal of what Councillor Stephens has said,” provided Councillor Baran who, despite not being originally from the community, said he was sympathetic. “I understand the personal attachment to the structure, I can identify with that.” The councillor noted that everyone has attachments to iconic buildings from their past. He also noted the historical value of the building to the community, but that he had to consider the practicality of keeping the building. “If we had all the money in the world I believe the whole council would line up (to support keeping it).”
Councillor Baran then went on to list the deficiencies of the building including accessibility requirements the municipality will have to meet according to soon to be in force legislation. “We know from work at the Providence Bay Hall that an accessible bathroom will cost at least $60,000,” he said, “and this building will need three of them.”
Councillor Baran concluded his remarks by saying “my obligation is to be as fiscally responsible as possible.”
Councillor Ted Taylor noted his own close attachment to the building, “I went to Grade 1 in 1940,” he said. “I attended school in just about every one of the classrooms in that building.” But he also noted that “you can send good money after bad.” Mr. Taylor noted a number of other buildings in the community that he has been sad to see go. “The old creamery, I spent 14 years there, and the old bank, it’s gone now too.” Mr. Taylor pointed out that many old barns in the community have been torn down by local farmers. “If it is not making money, it gets torn down,” he said.
Councillor Linda Farquhar came down on the other side of the debate, stating that she does not believe that the municipality has put sufficient effort into seeking out an alternative to simply tearing the old building down. “I think we should save it,” she said. “It has historical value to the community. It was fully rented for a number of years and then, somehow, it was just let go. I really don’t think that council has tried really hard to find someone—how many people have been approached? How many advertisements have we posted?”
Councillor Farquhar said “we should give it a bit more time. Have someone go in and access it. It would make a wonderful big complex or a museum.”
Mayor Richard Stephens stepped into the debate saying he could not let the motion go by without comment. He questioned the actual cost of keeping the building a while longer, noting that the cost of maintaining the building has been about $5,200, which includes about $1,700 for insurance and that the $2,300 in maintenance costs were largely for snow removal.
Mayor Stephens went on to point out that other halls in the community have far higher costs associated with them. “The hall in Prov is $17,000, the one in Spring Bay is $13,000 and Mindemoya’s is $23,000,” he said. “Just using those as a comparison, it is a pretty small expense. We might be proceeding on this thing too quickly.” Mayor Stephens noted the building was constructed in 1921. “The next council would be presiding over its 100th anniversary.” He went on to list the various incarnations the building has gone through, as school, municipal offices, community hall—“many wedding receptions were held there. There is a lot of history in a building that has been there for 100 years.”
He suggested that a committee should be set up to try and find a solution to the issue.
Councillor Stephens noted that “it is a big decision and I would like to see more of council here for it.” Councillor Dale Scott, who seconded the original recommendation at committee to demolish the building, and Councillor Patricia MacDonald were not in attendance at Thursday’s council meeting. “I would find out if we could bring it back (to the next council meeting).”
Councillor Stephens then withdrew the motion, with the agreement of Councillor Baran.
“We could send it back to the Property Committee,” suggested Mayor Stephens.
“That is where the recommendation came from,” replied Councillor Stephens. “I would like to see it come back to council.”
Mayor Stephens suggested that the committee should discuss the demolition further, and that it should be considered for a longer period than the two weeks to the next council meeting.
After some further back and forth, and assurances from the clerk that it could be simply returned to council, rather than referred back to committee, a motion was put forward to delay decision on the fate of the Mindemoya Old School building until the next council meeting. In a recorded vote Councillor Stephen, Councillor Baran and Councillor Taylor voted to bring the recommendation back to the next council meeting, Mayor Stephens and Councillor Farquhar voted against the motion. It passed.
Local history activist Jan McQuay weighed in on the issue following the meeting. “Where there’s a will there’s a way,” she said. “Look at the old wharf building in Gore Bay, now the Harbour Centre. One farsighted museum curator, Nicole Weppler, had a vision, found funding for renovations and saved the building.”
Ms. McQuay called into question the timing of the move by council. “Threatening to demolish the building unless someone comes forward quickly with a plan that council likes is the wrong way to go about things,” she suggested. “Why not actively search for alternatives? If it’s beyond the scope of the EDO, why not hire someone like Mary Nelder to look into it? And give that person time instead of rushing to demolish it. When it’s gone, there’s no bringing it back. I don’t think they’ve really tried. Schools have a special place in communities, and this well-built brick one has a certain imposing presence in keeping with the significant role it played in the lives of all the kids who grew up here for many decades.”
