Parents anxious to get new Catholic high school going
By Bill Rea

Local school Trustee Frank Di Cosola told the audience at last week's meeting about the need for the new school in Bolton.

There might be opponents to the notion of a Catholic high school in Bolton. If there are, these people either stayed away or stayed quiet at last Wednesday's public meeting on the proposed school.

More than 200 were out for the session at St. John the Baptist Elementary School to hear what's being proposed, as well as get a progress report on the project.

There was general agreement in the room that the school is needed, and is going to be a reality. Many of the concerns raised dealt with things like the site selection process and which kids are going to be bused, as opposed to being expected to walk to school.

"Where's the smoking section?" one woman asked (she was told smoking is not allowed on school property).

There were also a number of people who complained about how long it's all taking, and some of those lashed out at elected officials on hand for the meeting.

"Step on some toes," one man urged toward the end. "Twist some arms. Call in some favours. Let's get the school built."

Mayor Marolyn Morrison pledged to Town is supportive of the new school.

The facility is to be called St. Michael Secondary School, and is slated to go on a property of almost 20 acres on the north side of Columbia Way, just east of Highway 50.

Trustee Frank Di Cosola, Caledon's representative on the Dufferin - Peel Catholic District School Board, told the audience the meeting was called in response to a petition circulated by local residents, who were calling for more information on what's in the works.

He added approval of this project is critical, but it's an emotional issue too. The current school serving the area, Robert F. Hall Secondary School in Caledon East, currently accommodates some 1,900 students. The site also has 24 portables, so overcrowding is a concern.

Ken MacSporran, of Moffet and Duncan Architects, outlined some of the plans for the facility. The property provides lots of space for the building, as well as parking and playing fields. The lands to the east are part of the provincial Greenbelt. They are heavily treed and environmentally protected.

The main entrance of the school will be on the west side of the building, facing the parking lot (there will be provisions for student parking). The school chapel will be at the southwest corner and will be a focal point. It will have a specially designed roof, making it visible throughout the entire frontage and showing its place in the community and its importance to the school.

There will be a one-way driveway for cars, as well as school buses, and there will be a kiss-and-ride area too. MacSporran added there are provisions for safe walking areas from the cars and buses. There will be a separate driveway on the east side of the building for trucks and custodial services.

It will be a two-storey building, he said, adding it will be divided into northsouth sections. These two sections will be separated by a student gathering place or forum. The west end of this area is narrow, and will be near the office and administration section. It broadens further to the west, and MacSporran said it will offer good views of the environmental lands to the east.

The north section will house the athletics area, including a triple gym, six change rooms and access to the playing fields outside. That will mean the fields are accessible without having to cross the parking lot or driveway. This section will also include a ring hall, containing health services, technical and computer rooms, student council area and a tuck shop.

The south section will contain an L-shaped corridor with the chapel at the corner. It's doors will be visible from the forum, MacSporran said, adding it will be buffered by quiet areas, like the vestry and special education section.

He also said the special education area will have direct access to the south front of the building, with designated buses stopping there.

The south section will contain the cafetorium, with a stage, and music rooms, as well as the custodial services area.

The library and resource centre will be in the north section, off the forum at the east end, offering a good view of the environmental lands.

Referring to the second floor, MacSporran said the north section will contain six science labs, all connection with a central preparation and work area, along with four classrooms, two art rooms, two computer rooms and a design technical lab. The south area will contain regular classrooms.

Thane Munn, senior planner with the board, said this plan is the result of a design consultation with the architect to come up with something that will fit on the site and in the community.

A site plan was submitted to the Town early in 2006, and Munn stressed that is a slow process that has to be followed. There has also been a traffic study prepared, and he said Peel Region has signed off on it, while the Town is still looking at it.

There have been adjustments to the plan during the process. Originally, it was thought there were going to be seven minor variances needed, but Munn said that has been reduced to one, and that concerns the amount of the property the building will cover. Caledon's Committee of Adjustment is scheduled to address that issue next month.

"We've got lots of work yet to do," Munn declared.

For one thing, the board does not yet own the property, because it's been waiting for the necessary approvals to build. The site is privately owned, and the board is involved in a process which Munn described as "friendly expropriation."

Once all the approvals are in place, Munn said the board will start addressing such issues as the catchment area boundaries.

The board will also have to work on deciding how the

new school will be filled. It's possible they could start with just Grade 9 students in the first year, and add to the numbers annually so kids don't have to switch schools. Or they could set up a holding school, so the students could start a community of their own as they wait to move into the new facility. Students who have been attending Robert F. Hall for a couple of years might not want to change, he observed.

Munn said the board will come up with some options, and the community will have input.

There were a number of positive and enthusiastic comments from the audience in reaction to the prospect of the school coming. But there were some concerns expressed too. There had been 20 properties considered in the area, and some people wondered how they got it down to this one.

Beth Bjarnason, manager of planning for the board, said the 20 sites were based on consultations with a local realtor, as they were looking for a property that offered sufficient space, frontage, services, accessibility and conformity with surrounding land uses. Sites were dropped from consideration for various reasons, such as multiple land owners or being too close to industrial lands.

There were a number of questions about how many students will be bused. Munn said the general rule is busing is provided for students living more than 4.8 kilometres from the school, but he added that provision is intended for people in rural areas. He added there would be considerations for areas without sidewalks, or for students who might have to walk up Highway 50 on Bolton's north hill.

Bjarnason told the audience the planned capacity for St. Michael is 1,400, and she wouldn't rule out the possibility that portables would be needed at some point. Bolton, she said, has the highest per-capita number of Catholic students in Dufferin - Peel, and she added the area cold continue to grow. She also said they have planned for possible expansion of the St. Michael site, but it will take more than few portables before the province will go along with it. Long-term need would have to be established.

Concerns about people it the community trying to hold up the process were also raised.

"Nobody's stopped the process," Munn declared, and while he was talking positively, he said there were no hard guarantees that the project will get all the approvals needed.

Di Cosola added the people who had signed the petition weren't trying to apply the brakes. They just wanted information and clarification.

"We just had concerns and we wanted some understanding," commented one man who said he had signed the petition.

One woman charged the Town isn't doing enough to move the process along. She complained she was sick of her kids being bused to Robert F. Hall, and all the snow days this year.

"What are you doing to push this through," she demanded.

Mayor Marolyn Morrison stressed council is supportive of the efforts, but added "there is a process you have to go through."

She also said Towns staff will be sending a positive report to the Committee of Adjustment, but she can't presuppose how the committee will rule.

Cathy Turco, representing the St. Michael Steering Committee (which includes representation from the four elementary schools in Bolton), spoke about the need for the new facility.

"There is no question that there is a need for a Catholic secondary school in Bolton," she declared, pointing to the crowded conditions at Robert F. Hall. "It goes without saying that there is a tremendous strain on our students, teaching and administrative staff, including the strain on our school facilities."

"The parents of Hall continue to advocate and support the development of a secondary school in Bolton to help alleviate the pressures in enrolment," she added. "They have been patient long enough."

Turco also stressed the desire to build a "vibrant, caring, inclusive faith community."

As well, she addressed students with special needs and their need for an environment where they feel welcomed and belonging.

Turco said the committee has been circulating a petition of its own to generate support for the school, and they have more than 1,500 signatures so far. They plan to present it to Caledon council in March.

Addressing traffic issues, Munn agreed there will be impacts. There will be more traffic generated on Columbia Way, but he added there will be fewer school buses running from Bolton to Caledon East in the mornings. As well, he said a number of the students will be able to walk to school.

One man charged there are school buses parked all over the street near Pope John Paul II School, and he hoped that wouldn't be the case at St. Michael.

Munn explained they are designing the site to handle the anticipated traffic.

"There is more than enough room to put the cars and the buses," he declared.

One man pointed out Columbia Way is part of the Bolton Arterial Road network, and he figured that would mean a lot of trucks driving by. He wondered if there are any plans to widen the road. Geoff Hebbert, supervisor of the development in the Town's public works and engineering department, said there are no plans at this time for a widening.

The traffic congestion from parents driving their kids to school was a worry for some. One woman charged the situation going up Highway 50 is going to be "an absolute traffic jam!"

Another man suggested having the kids walk to school should be encouraged, so they can get exercise. "Let's get 'em out walking," he declared.

There were also some concerns over possible development in the area. Morrison told the audience there are no plans to change the population figures for the north hill, adding a commercial development is possible for the area.

She was also asked about the possibility for public transit in Bolton.

"At this point, no," the mayor replied. "We do not have the critical mass yet to put in a public transit system in the Town of Caledon."