Loss of school land worries neighbours

Trustees told in no uncertain terms that property valued at $5.2 million must stay in public trust

By Louise Dickson, Times Colonist
Published: Saturday, April 14, 2007

In no uncertain terms, people who live near Richmond Elementary School property told the Greater Victoria school board they don't want to lose their community backyard.

About 75 people let trustees know at a heated public meeting at the board office Thursday night they are opposed to the sale of the Richmond school lands and want them to remain in the public trust.

Richmond was closed in 2004 and rented to Ecole Victor-Brodeur for 2 1/2 years. It was put up for sale in January through Colliers International. St. Patrick's School -- a Catholic school in the area -- and the Vancouver Island Health Authority are among 13 bidders for the eight-acre site valued at $5.2 million. The issue will be discussed at the next board meeting, on Monday.

"People's greatest fear is the loss of the lands as a public asset," said Kathrynn Foster, speaking on behalf of the North and South Jubilee Neighbourhood Associations, the Camosun Community Association (CCA) and the Friends of Bowker Creek. "We will lose our sense of neighbourhood."

Foster and other community activists surveyed more than 100 residents and found most are worried they will lose their green space and that Bowker Creek, which runs through the property, will be abused.

"This has everything to do with our kids," argued Ian Graeme, founder of the Friends of Bowker Creek. "They're going to inherit our neighbourhoods and our future. You have a responsibility for looking out beyond 15 or 20 years."

St. Patrick's parent Edward Camilleri said he has collected 700 signatures from people who would welcome that school into the community if Richmond is sold.

St. Patrick's would keep the green space and is committed to enhancing Bowker Creek. "We would be a good fit for the community," Camilleri said to much applause.

Al Lubkowski, CCA land-use director, was critical of school board staff taking the initiative to list Richmond for sale, then telling the trustees.

"It sounds like the tail wagging the dog. Is this the way you're going to conduct things in the future?" he asked trustees.

Lubkowski repeatedly tried to pin down trustee Mark Walsh, chairman of operations, planning and policy, on the bid-selection process for the Richmond school lands. He asked that all the bids be made public, that the selection process be based on criteria developed by a task force, that the criteria be made public, and that the reasons for selecting or rejecting bids be made public as well.

"Do you just flip a coin?" he asked. "What do you do?"

"When we do open the bids, we will be taking what the community has given us and taking the board's needs into account and we then will come out of [meeting in private] and announce the one that we've chosen and the intended use," Walsh said later in the meeting. "Then there will be more opportunity for public input ... before any final decision is taken on the matter."

Parent Michael Yakubowich reminded trustees he had polled them before the last election on whether they would be selling school land.

"Each one of you know what you said to me. And I would like you to live up to your integrity and honesty and pass it on," said Yakubowich.

He also criticized the board for what he termed lack of an open and honest public process.

"My children need green space. They will need schools for their grandchildren. Once this property is gone, it's gone forever. As trustees, you have a responsibility to community members to follow through and reflect the community's effort and to have an open and honest process of not just dollars and sense, but mostly sense -- common sense."

Trustee Charley Beresford said the overwhelming message from the meeting was 'Don't sell public land.'

"Clearly we have to improve our process. The people who said that criteria shared with the public [are] a bare minimum are dead on."