School District 43 will begin discussions with the city of Port Moody on the future of College Park school, including possibly lighting the building in the early evening and seeing if art groups would be interested in beautifying the boarded up windows.
The promise comes as residents have been complaining about the site being dark at night, drawing vandals and litter. Some have called for a long-term plan for the Port Moody school, but the district has no plans to do anything else except lease the building, although it's been empty for a year.
Secretary Treasurer Mark Ferrari confirmed the district would bring up College Park at an upcoming liaison meeting with the city of Port Moody. "We are going to see if there are other uses or considerations," Ferrari said of the elementary school that was closed seven years ago and leased to the Mediated Learning Academy until last year.
But the question of whether to light the building at night turned out to be more complicated than originally thought.
Watkins said the school district should be a good neighbor and at least light the property, after he toured the area with fellow PoMo trustee Lisa Park and was surprised to find it dark. "If you lived in the neighborhood, would you go down there," asked Watkins.
Ferrari said vacant properties are usually lit but College Park was kept dark because it had been attracting groups of partiers and vandals who painted graffiti and smashed windows, information that was confirmed by the district's principal of facilities initiatives, Ivano Ceccini.
Since the lights were turned off, "The element of people that went there to party have moved off the site," Ceccini said.
Watkins then suggested a compromise - lighting the property in the early evening until 9 p.m. when residents are coming home from work and other activities. "Meet them half way," he said.
Beautifying the boarded-up building was another idea proposed by Watkins and Coquitlam trustee Barb Hobson took up the challenge, suggesting that art groups could be invited to paint the boards.
Ferrari confirmed he would take the suggestions to an upcoming liaison meeting with the city.
