By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
St. Agnes School in Chatham is coming down.
The former Catholic elementary school will be razed by the municipality in order to clear the way for future housing projects.
Council approved the demolition at the Feb. 10 meeting, supporting a recommendation from administration, noting taking down the building, including the gymnasium, will eliminate risks and costs associated with maintaining the structure.
Following a question from North Kent Coun. Rhonda Jubenville, asking if the demolition is connected in anyway with Indwell, council learned the Christian charity is not associated with this latest development.
According to CAO Michael Duben, clearing the property is not part of an Indwell project. However, he said the St. Agnes parcel is one of the properties Chatham-Kent is making available for supportive housing projects. Duben said a report will be coming to council on the matter later this year.
St. Agnes School was originally purchased by Indwell from the St. Clair Catholic District School Board, which had a supportive housing project planned for the property.
However, a joint funding application by the charity and Chatham-Kent was turned down by the federal government, putting an end to Indwell’s presence in Chatham. The property was subsequently purchased by the municipality.
This is the absolute reason we have homeless in this area. This facility has already proven to have housed homeless just recently. Tell me why they cannot convert this to a geared to income type housing project and get some of the homeless off the streets? This needs to be addressed a bit more seriously than it was already. Its a total shame to tear down an existing structure when the price of rebuilding is so high, its abolutley mind boggling on how our municipality leaders think!