School a Top Concern at Chelsea Council Meeting

Reuel S. Amdur

At the March 12 Chelsea Council meeting, the location of the proposed new French school was top of mind during question period.  It is to be located largely on Chelsea Foundation land, currently used for a soccer field and parking lot. The Foundation responded angrily, demanding the mayor’s resignation, a demand repeated at the meeting.

Mayor Pierre Guénard pointed to the bind Chelsea is in.  Quebec law requires the municipality to provide the land for new school construction.  He gave examples of other places In Quebec needing to sacrifice land that was used or wanted for other purposes.

People at the meeting demanded to know why an alternative site was not selected.  Vice-mayor Kimberly Chan spelled out the ways in which other locations failed to meet the necessary criteria.  The French School Service Centre rejected a location in Farm Point as being not sufficiently central, not in walking distance for most pupils.  She responded regarding other possibilities one at a time.  Short-comings included a lack of connection to water, proximity to highway traffic, and inadequate plot size.  Every effort was made to find a substitute, without success.

The mayor noted that some land was ruled out because it is unstable.  He said that staff are trying to find ways to cut back on the size of the plot of land to be taken from the Foundation.  He also reported that, since Chelsea owns no land, it is now preparing to acquire some for future needs, to avoid problems like this.  He also expressed unhappiness that the province fails to take responsibility for using its power of eminent domain to obtain land for schools, instead burdening municipalities with the responsibility.