Heather Latter
The Rainy River District School Board last night voted in favour of keeping its committee of the whole meeting, scheduled for Nov. 19, at La Place Rendez-Vous here in Fort Frances.
The meeting, being held as part of the process to determine the futures of Donald Young School in Emo, Sturgeon Creek School in Barwick, and Crossroads Schools in Devlin, is to “allow trustees a focused opportunity to receive administration’s analysis of the accommodation reviews, to ask questions on the information received, and to discuss options fully.”
Given the future of these three schools is important to many people, the board decided to hold the committee meeting at the Rendez-Vous in order to accommodate a large crowd that may want to observe the proceedings.
Director of Education Heather Campbell said they chose that venue because a sound system is included in the cost of renting the facility, and the acoustics are much better than a school’s gymnasium.
But some residents felt it would be better to hold the meeting in a more central location, perhaps in Emo, because it would be closer to the people the decision affects and more convenient for them to attend.
Trustee Dianne McCormack noted last night that each of the public consultations for the accommodation reviews were held in their respective communities.
She also said while the public is invited to attend the Nov. 19 meeting, it’s a meeting just for the trustees.
“People come to Fort Frances all the time,” echoed trustee Ralph Hill.
“If they want to come, they’ll come.”
But trustee Dan Belluz stressed that moving the meeting to a location in the central part of the district would promote the openness and transparency of their meetings.
“We don’t want people to always think that Fort Frances is the centre of the universe—because it’s not,” he remarked.
“And it would show we’re not scared to take a little flack, no matter what we decide,” Belluz added.
Campbell said she asked the chairperson of each accommodation revue committee their thoughts, with one having not yet responded, the other in favour of relocating the meeting to Emo, and the other indicating it didn’t matter since she was aware it was a meeting for the trustees.
If the board was to consider moving the meeting to Emo, it would be looking to have it upstairs at the Emo-La Vallee Community Centre, which can accommodate up to 300 people—just 10 less than the Rendez-Vous.
But with no sound system, the board would be paying another $300 to rent one. And there also is an issue of accessibility since there is no elevator at the Emo arena.
The Emo Legion, meanwhile, was not available on that date, and changing the date wasn’t on option as it already had been advertised.
After some serious consideration, trustees voted 4-1 to keep the meeting at the Rendez-Vous as originally scheduled.
A decision on the future of the three schools is expected to be made at the board’s regular meeting Jan. 7, which is scheduled to be held in the board office here in Fort Frances.
