Vancouver Courier: 2009 March 27
Cheryl Rossi
Admirers of Vancouver's oldest school building don't want another heritage structure to bite the dust.
They want the provincial government to fix the 113-year-old annex at Carleton elementary at Kingsway and Joyce after the building was damaged by a fire a year ago this month.
"It is the oldest still functioning school building [in Vancouver]," said Karin Bernauer, the elementary school teacher's representative to the Vancouver School Board's planning and facilities committee and a teacher at the school. "It was built in the Collingwood area before this area even became part of Vancouver. It didn't join Collingwood until the late '20s, so for the Collingwood area it's a huge, significant historical building."
Val Hamilton, who was a teacher-librarian at Sir Guy Carleton from 1977 to 1984, concurs.
"It is listed as an 'A' building on the Vancouver Heritage Registry. I was on a committee that did a study of all the school sites for the city and the school district a few years ago, and we especially noted the Carleton site because it had a unique collection of different types of buildings," said the retiree who has written a book on the history of Vancouver's schools.
The two-room schoolhouse, which has served the Collingwood community since 1896, went up in flames in the early hours of the morning March 2, 2008, in a suspected arson. The blaze damaged the ceiling and attic and its interior was flooded with smoke and water. The charred roof of the pale yellow building remains intact under blue tarps.
Bernauer said the Ministry of Education requested information about class sizes in the vicinity just before Christmas. In February, she said, the school district revealed the provincial government had decided against restoring the school, but that information isn't reflected in the minutes of the board's planning and facilities committee.
Hamilton says the ministry's rules about fixing schools place too much emphasis on classroom capacity in the case of Carleton.
"Sometimes they have to break their own rules and take a look at the heritage value of a site," she said. "Just using a mindless formula doesn't make any sense in this case."
She noted the Collingwood Pioneers use the school in their celebrations.
Adrian Dix, Vancouver-Kingsway NDP MLA, criticized Premier Gordon Campbell for abandoning the Collingwood community at a press conference about the school March 23.
Shirley Bond, the Liberal minister of education, said in a written statement that the ministry has spent $100,000 so far on repairs, including removing asbestos from the site and bracing the building to prevent further structural damage. She said the ministry is prepared to work with the school board on the project while considering enrolment needs, educational requirements and other district policies.
Bernauer said the $100,000 was spent stripping scorched items from the building and restoring classroom material.
Dix estimated repairs to the annex would cost roughly $400,000.
The two kindergarten classes housed in the old schoolhouse were moved into the main school. Bernauer said that meant a special new program that was to be housed there as of January couldn't be accommodated and was moved to another school.
Bernauer concedes she doesn't believe the kindergarten classes were at full capacity. But she also says capacity's not the point. Heritage conservation is.
"It's been a year. We've waited patiently for a year and I think because it's an East Side school we are patient, we do wait for things to happen," she said. "And I highly doubt that if this school would have burned in Point Grey that it would still be blue tarped."
David Weir, school board spokesperson, would say only that staff continue to work on the matter.
crossi@vancourier.com
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Fight to save Carleton school
24 Hour News: 2009 March 24
Vancouver's Sir Guy Carleton Elementary's 113-year-old, two-room schoolhouse that sustained arson damages last year is at risk of being lost.
The A (primary significance) classified heritage building by the City of Vancouver used to house the school's kindergarten classes but the provincial government is refusing to pay for repairs, according to Adrian Dix, NDP MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway.
"For them not to fix the school is really reprehensible," Dix said yesterday in front of the boarded up schoolhouse.
The cost for repairs would be in the neighbourhood of $400,000, he said.
A school alumnus from the '40s, Jackie McHugh, one of four generations in her family who attended the school, said, "It's a landmark to Collingwood."
But, in a written statement Minister of Education Shirley Bond, Liberal MLA, expressed her concern for Dix's sudden interest in the project and says the province's School Protection Program has spent $100,000 so far on repairs, including the removal of asbestos from the site.
"The kindergarten students who had been using the building before the fire have been accommodated in other classrooms on the school property," Bond wrote.
Vancouver's Sir Guy Carleton Elementary's 113-year-old, two-room schoolhouse that sustained arson damages last year is at risk of being lost.
The A (primary significance) classified heritage building by the City of Vancouver used to house the school's kindergarten classes but the provincial government is refusing to pay for repairs, according to Adrian Dix, NDP MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway.
"For them not to fix the school is really reprehensible," Dix said yesterday in front of the boarded up schoolhouse.
The cost for repairs would be in the neighbourhood of $400,000, he said.
A school alumnus from the '40s, Jackie McHugh, one of four generations in her family who attended the school, said, "It's a landmark to Collingwood."
But, in a written statement Minister of Education Shirley Bond, Liberal MLA, expressed her concern for Dix's sudden interest in the project and says the province's School Protection Program has spent $100,000 so far on repairs, including the removal of asbestos from the site.
"The kindergarten students who had been using the building before the fire have been accommodated in other classrooms on the school property," Bond wrote.
Monday, March 23, 2009
LANDMARK SCHOOL AT RISK BECAUSE OF CAMPBELL’S NEGLECT
NDP: 2009 March 23
VANCOUVER - Students and the city of Vancouver are on the verge of losing one of B.C.'s most historic places of learning because Gordon Campbell refuses to pay the repair bill he is responsible for, says Vancouver Kingsway MLA Adrian Dix.
“Students first suffered last March when a fire severely damaged the city’s oldest school building at Sir Guy Carleton Elementary. Now the Premier is abandoning them, plus the Joyce-Collingwood community, by rejecting his legal and civic duty to restore this landmark that has been part of Vancouver since 1896” said Dix.
More than a year ago this designated heritage site - the province’s longest standing two room school house - was set ablaze. Prior to the arson, it housed two kindergarten classes and served as a prominent link to Vancouver's past.
Although the provincial government is the formal insurer, Campbell refuses to repair the building, which is more than 110 years old.
“According to the Campbell government, such a significant educational and architectural site is 'excess space' that can be done away with. Kindergarten students have lost their classroom and the community is losing a connection to its history,” said Dix.
Dix, local parents, teachers, and alumni of the historic schoolhouse held a press conference today calling on Campbell to stop the neglect and immediately fix the structure before it is too late.
“Campbell and his team are currently on track to finish what the arsonists started,” said Dix, noting that the damaged school has deteriorated further because Campbell has allowed so much time to elapse since the fire.
“The Premier insists he is a champion of Vancouver, and that he has dedicated his career in public service to children. His neglect for the students, parents and community in this situation illustrates again how these claims are just hollow sound bites.”
Contact Jasmyn Singh 250-387-0200; Shruti Joshi 604-775-2408
Meena Wong 王小姐
Constituency Assistant 省議員助理
Adrian Dix, MLA-Vancouver Kingsway 溫哥華京士威省議員
Tel: 604-660-0314
Fax: 604-660-1131
email: meena.wong@leg.bc.ca
VANCOUVER - Students and the city of Vancouver are on the verge of losing one of B.C.'s most historic places of learning because Gordon Campbell refuses to pay the repair bill he is responsible for, says Vancouver Kingsway MLA Adrian Dix.
“Students first suffered last March when a fire severely damaged the city’s oldest school building at Sir Guy Carleton Elementary. Now the Premier is abandoning them, plus the Joyce-Collingwood community, by rejecting his legal and civic duty to restore this landmark that has been part of Vancouver since 1896” said Dix.
More than a year ago this designated heritage site - the province’s longest standing two room school house - was set ablaze. Prior to the arson, it housed two kindergarten classes and served as a prominent link to Vancouver's past.
Although the provincial government is the formal insurer, Campbell refuses to repair the building, which is more than 110 years old.
“According to the Campbell government, such a significant educational and architectural site is 'excess space' that can be done away with. Kindergarten students have lost their classroom and the community is losing a connection to its history,” said Dix.
Dix, local parents, teachers, and alumni of the historic schoolhouse held a press conference today calling on Campbell to stop the neglect and immediately fix the structure before it is too late.
“Campbell and his team are currently on track to finish what the arsonists started,” said Dix, noting that the damaged school has deteriorated further because Campbell has allowed so much time to elapse since the fire.
“The Premier insists he is a champion of Vancouver, and that he has dedicated his career in public service to children. His neglect for the students, parents and community in this situation illustrates again how these claims are just hollow sound bites.”
Contact Jasmyn Singh 250-387-0200; Shruti Joshi 604-775-2408
Meena Wong 王小姐
Constituency Assistant 省議員助理
Adrian Dix, MLA-Vancouver Kingsway 溫哥華京士威省議員
Tel: 604-660-0314
Fax: 604-660-1131
email: meena.wong@leg.bc.ca
Friday, March 13, 2009
Government Refused to Repair Building
The Provincial Government is refusing to repair the fire-damaged building as the school doesn't need the classroom space. Duh!
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