It’s going to take even longer than expected to build a new high school in Barrie’s south end.
Barrie city councillors rejected a site plan by the Simcoe County District School Board on Monday night. Mayor Jeff Lehman says the city still has an issue with there the board wants to build the school.
“The board was not willing to move the school, which was the fundamental issue from the beginning,” Lehman says. “It’s very disappointing, it's unnecessary. This could have been avoided."
The board and city have gone back in forth on where to build the new high school. The board wants to build the new school near a future subdivision, while the city wants it built near the Mapleview Drive and Prince William Way intersection.
Lehman says the board’s location goes against the city’s planning rules.
“Although the city's done a great deal to try to make this school go faster, you can't throw all of the rules in terms of safety ,in terms of good design, in terms of neighborhoods functioning, in terms of traffic; you can't just throw all those out because they're in a hurry."
The board says it's disappointed with council's decision, telling CTV News, "we came out of the process with a compromise that worked for both the board and the city, satisfying the urban design guidelines and other city policies, while also addressing the safety and needs of our students."
It's now possible that the dispute could end up in front of the Ontario Municipal Board, an idea one councillor called a waste of tax dollars.
The impasse could now push the school's opening later than fall 2018, which is already two years behind its original schedule.
