Anyone considering a new home, who loves structurally sound heritage buildings, picturesque surroundings and contributing to the local community -- South Stormont Township has a deal for you. If you can combine your home with a beneficial community use for the former Raisin River Heritage Centre, 17283 County Road 18, St. Andrews West, Ontario, it's free.
Expressions of Interest must be filed by Friday May 19 at 4 pm, with TCI Management Consultants. The complete information package can be obtained by contacting Greg Young, gyoung@consulttci.com 416-515-2705.
Jordan Munn and Kae Elgie, leaders of a campaign to save the former St. Andrews Convent when the Township proposed demolishing it in 2020, were delighted to see this statement in the Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) : "Assuming the building can be relocated and used for some beneficial public purpose within the municipality, the Township of South Stormont would be willing to provide the building to the proponent essentially free-of-charge."
The building's current location is limited by being surrounded by the schoolyard of St Andrew's Catholic elementary school, with just a five-foot strip of land around its perimeter. "When we spoke to them in 2022, school board officials were understandably concerned about unlimited access to the former Heritage Centre during school hours," said Elgie. Officials noted the Centre had been successfully used for after school and weekend purposes for over 30 years until 2016, and they didn't rule that out for the future. "They also mused that if daytime users of the building all passed police checks, 24-hour access might be possible."
Munn and Elgie brainstormed a number of scenarios which could work for the building, even in its constrained current location, e.g. a food outlet open on evenings and weekends, affordable housing whose residents agreed to restricted hours for visitors. "When I spoke to St Andrews West residents about what could benefit their community, people talked about evening fitness or continuing education classes, community meeting space -- all compatible with daytime elementary school use," said Elgie.
Alternatively, the building could be moved to another location.
"Knowing the Township will have to pay at least $700,000 to demolish the building (2020 estimate) and will have to pay for asbestos removal before the building can be demolished should make them happy for any proposal to reuse that lovely building," said Munn. "That's why I started my petition to Save St. Andrews Convent, which got over 1300 signatures in just a few weeks. I can't bear the thought of all that money going to tear down such a beautiful, structurally sound, building."
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Info: Kae Elgie 519-635-8951 kaeelgie@yahoo.com