The fate of the former Ashton Creek Elementary School may be in the hands of residents.
Final classes were held in June and the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District is looking at disposing of the site.
“The goal is to sell for fair market value,” said Alice Hucul, with district communications.
To get a sense of interest, the Riverside Community Club is considering a public survey.
“We want to find out what people would like to see there,” said Shelley Verlaan, president.
“If we didn’t ask residents, we could be remiss and we could lose community access to that building.”
The school district has not released the assessment value of the property, but some have suggested the building could cost $230,000 to $250,000.
“It would be pretty steep,” said Jackie Pearase, area director, who has asked the Regional District of Okanagan to investigate figures for a possible purchase.
“It could be cost prohibitive because the building needs capital improvements. One of the things is water (upgrades).”
Pearase has received little public input about the future of the property.
“It’s up to the community to decide if they want it,” she said.
The school district has previously leased closed schools to community groups but it’s unknown if that is possible with Ashton Creek.
Any residents with comments or concerns about the disposal of the school can make presentations to the school board Jan. 8 and Feb. 12.
“They are just exploring the level of interest,” said Hucul.
Presently, Ashton Creek school is leased by a local church.
