By Lisa Rutledge
Jun 06, 2008
Ryerson Public School students will get a new school in September 2010 as well as 200 new classmates from Hespeler's Mattamy-Townline neighbourhood to boost declining population.
In a unanimous vote, Waterloo Region public school trustees approved a planning staff recommendation to spend $5.65 million to rebuild the small, aging Preston elementary school and also make it the new home base for students soon to be displaced from Silverheights Public School.
The decision, made at a special meeting Wednesday night, is still subject to approval from the Ontario Ministry of Education. However, it was welcome news for Ryerson parents who asked trustees to support building a 300-pupil school with on-site daycare on the spacious Grand Valley Drive property.
Ryerson parent council co-chair Jen Coady called the option a win-win as it provides a welcoming home for Silverheights children and ensures Ryerson's strong sense of community continues.
"Ryerson is not just a school in a neighbourhood but is a neighbourhood school."
Although there was little debate prior to the vote, the proposal hasn't been without controversy.
Mattamy-Townline parents, whose children must leave Silverheights school because a new subdivision within walking distance comes online soon, have raised concerns of potential health hazards due to trichloroethylene contamination discovered in Preston neighbourhoods near Ryerson.
