The board of education of School District No. 74 (Gold Trail) has now released details of the community consultation process regarding disposal of the former Ashcroft Elementary School property.
The school was closed in July 2015, and in August of that year the AES property was leased to the Ashcroft HUB Society. Since then it has operated as a community centre offering a wide variety of services and activities.
At its open board meeting on Jan. 5, the trustees of SD74 passed a motion to proceed with a community consultation process regarding the possible disposal of the former AES property. “Disposal” refers to either the sale and transfer of the property to an individual or organization, or a lease of 10 years or more.
The HUB Society and SD74 are currently halfway through a nine-year lease agreement.
The community consultation process includes opportunities for the public to provide input to the board of education about the potential disposal of the property. This consultation is not limited to individuals and organizations within the Village of Ashcroft, and SD74 has sent an invitation to provide feedback — either in written form or via a Zoom meeting — to the Villages of Ashcroft, Cache Creek, and Clinton; the Ashcroft, Bonaparte, and Cooks Ferry Indian Bands; and the board of directors of the Ashcroft HUB Society.
At its open meeting on Jan. 11, Ashcroft council requested a Zoom meeting with the board of education to discuss disposal of the property.
Members of the public throughout the region can provide their feedback during a public meeting on Thursday, Feb 4 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The meeting will take place via Zoom.
Written feedback will be accepted by SD74 until Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. Feedback can be sent via email to district@sd74.bc.ca; via a website survey at www.sd74.bc.ca; or via mail to P.O. Box 250, Ashcroft, B.C. V0K 1A0.
Feedback to the board that is received by Feb. 19, 2021 will be collated and discussed at the open board meeting on Tuesday, March 2.
In a media release, the Ashcroft HUB Society said that during the disposal process, the HUB will continue to provide services as always. The society’s board of directors are diligently working on a long-term plan to ensure that the HUB continues to serve area communities now and into the future.
The society is asking community members to continue to support the Ashcroft HUB as they always have, and to provide their feedback to the school district via any of the methods outlined above.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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