Despite a request for delay from Salmon Arm City Council, the school district will be proceeding immediately with plans to sell the Downtown Activity Centre.
The School District has already begun accepting proposals for sale of the Downtown Activity Centre which will continue until the July 6 deadline.
Salmon Arm council had previously asked for an extension of the process to allow community groups more time to try to come up with purchase plans, however, Official Trustee Mike McKay says the groups had already been notified five years ago that this was to be their final lease.
“I won’t be proceeding to delay,” he stated. McKay has previously noted he wants to see the future of the DAC set in place before his term as official trustee comes to an end following the October election of a new school board.
Related link: City seeks more time on DAC decision
City council members had noted their desire to have the decision on the DAC left up to a democratically elected board, rather than the current single appointed trustee.
McKay noted the school district already extended the lease, which originally ended on June 30, until the end of December as they district investigated the potential and costs of renovating the building as an elementary school to service the more than 110 students currently living in the downtown core.
The estimate to bring the building up to standard was $8 million.
“So that closed the book on that,” McKay said.
Related link: Salmon Arm citizens hope to purchase former school
He added the school district is attempting to work with the city to see if changes can be made to the transit system which will make it more accessible to student use, especially for those students who are not eligible to ride the school bus.
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