Cathedral Area residents are exploring their legal options after the Regina Board of Education voted to block conservation specialists from entering Connaught School.

“What are they afraid of?” asked Rene Dumont, chair of Save Our Connaught Heritage. “Every responsible home owner asks for more than one estimate on a project.”

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The Ecole Connaught SCC has sent a letter to the Regina Public School Board asking for the following:

1. Work in cooperation with Save Our Connaught to develop a renovation option for the school.

2. Allow specialists access to the building, for the purposes of examining its structural condition.

3. Support an application for heritage designation, to allow access to federal and provincial funds for heritage renovations and restorations.

The board will consider this at their meeting on Tuesday, June 18 at 7 p.m., 1600-4th Ave. Citizens are encouraged to attend.

What other cities and towns are doing to preserve historic schools – read this Leader-Post article.

Paul W. Bennett has seen more than a few historic schools mistreated and demolished in his day. He’s also seen some stunningly beautiful renovations. But there’s one thing they all have in common, he says.

“I’ve never found a situation yet where a board document didn’t inflate the cost of renovation and lowball the cost of new,” Dr. Bennett told a full house at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre on Monday, May 20. (more…)