The Simcoe County District School Board is considering a revised plan for a new high school in Barrie’s south end.
The public boards business and facilitates committee approved a revised plan at Wednesday night’s meeting that will be resubmitted to the City of Barrie.
The revised plan is a step to try and break an impasse between the city and school board, as both sides dispute where the school should be built
The plan includes an additional building that will be built on the north end of the site at Mapleview Drive and Prince William Way. The building will be used for a learning centre, but the high school would still be built as planned on the south end of the site.
“We believe we’ve created a compromise which is an additional building at the corner that meets the city’s insistence on urban design guidelines as being a reason why this would be accepted,” said John Dance, superintendent of facility services.
The board purchased the 23 acre property near the intersection of Mapleview Drive and Prince William Way, with the intention of building the school away from the intersection due to cost and safety. However, the city wants the school built on Mapleview Drive.
The city has since voted in favour of bringing a mediator in to help the two sides come to an agreement.
The board says an OMB appeal along with several other options including not building the new school and expanding existing ones are still on the table if this revised plan isn’t approved.
The revised plan requires final approval from the school board before it’s presented to the city.
