Plan wavers for community hub at Sir John A. Macdonald school in downtown Hamilton
Momentum toward a downtown Hamilton community hub at the site of the former Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School is waning.
One capital partner in the years-long plan has decided to focus its energy elsewhere.
When it became clear that it just was unlikely to move any time soon, we moved on," said Terry Cooke, president and CEO of the Hamilton Community Foundation.
The hub, which was to be anchored by a new elementary school, is also on the shelf for Hamilton East Kiwanis Non-Profit Homes Inc.
The project is not currently on our radar for future planning as it seems to have gone quiet over the past few years," executive director Brian Sibley said.
Earlier this month, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board announced the province had rejected its $28.7-million funding request to build a 541-student school on the eight-acre York Boulevard site.
That would have also gone toward spaces for child care, an alternative education program, student assessment centre and demolition of the shuttered secondary school building.
The province also turned down the board's September 2017 funding request.
The hub initiative originated earlier that year, when trustees backed community services in concert with a new school for Hess Street and Strathcona students.
Along with the Hamilton Community Foundation and Hamilton East Kiwanis Non-Profit Homes Inc., the city, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and the YMCA of Hamilton-Burlington-Brantford joined the effort.
On Tuesday, board chair Dawn Danko said officials will reconsider options" now that the Ministry of Education has rejected the funding request.
We are disappointed that the ministry does not see the value in a collaborative community hub project that would benefit the community in the area in a variety of ways."
A report is expected to be before trustees in January or February, Danko said via email.
The YMCA remains committed to a hub where it can offer an array of its services, spokesperson Kyla Kumar said.
We have been very clear, though, that the hub model on that site was really conditioned on having a school on that site."
HHS and the city didn't respond to requests for comment by deadline Tuesday.
The Hamilton Community Foundation, meanwhile, is collaborating with a Toronto-based development company to restore the 165-year-old Coppley building, also on York Boulevard.
That will serve as the foundation's new headquarters, Cooke said. And we're in the early stages of planning for a community hub there, as well."
Sir John A. Macdonald, along with Delta in the east end, closed in 2019 following an accommodation review that led to the construction of Bernie Custis Secondary School across from Tim Hortons Field.
The large downtown parcel - which sits between York Boulevard, Cannon Street West, Bay Street North and Hess Street North - has drawn private-sector interest, as well.
In 2018, a consortium led by the Carmen's Group presented a study of redevelopment options for the city's downtown entertainment venues that included the school property as a potential site for a new convention centre and hotel.
Carmen's CEO PJ Mercanti and partners in the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG) have since struck a multimillion-dollar agreement to operate and refurbish the existing convention centre, concert hall and arena.
The former Sir John A. Macdonald site is kitty-corner from FirstOntario Centre, HUPEG partner Jasper Kujavsky noted Tuesday. Everything that happens in the neighbourhood is of great interest to us."
But HUPEG, which hopes to redevelop the York Boulevard area into an arts and entertainment district with new shops and eateries, recognizes the board controls the school property's future, he said.
Until such time that they invited further consultation or engagement with other stakeholders, then we are just patiently available to discuss opportunities."
Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com