End the neglect

More than 250 people have sent emails to Mayor and Council asking for Connaught to be formally recognized as part of Regina’s heritage. Connaught easily meets the Official Community Plan’s definition of a historic property, and was recommended for heritage designation by the City’s Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee. City Council will consider MHAC’s recommendation at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, at City Hall. Please come out and show your support.

Send an email and read comments left by others here.

The Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee today passed a motion supporting Municipal Heritage Status for Connaught School. The motion will go forward as a recommendation to City Council on June 23.

 

Among the reasons mentioned was Connaught’s role as a significant heritage structure anchoring 13^th Avenue, and the potential of demolition to set off a domino effect. There were also concerns expressed about the impact on the environment and city landfill, and the need for consultation with heritage specialists. Read the full post »

Government ministers will soon be hearing from Connaught School supporters. On Saturday, more than 500 people signed postcards to the province, including 252 addressed to the Minister of Education and 291 to the Minister of Heritage.

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On Friday, Heritage Regina and Save Our Connaught joined forces to co-nominate Connaught School for provincial heritage status. The school has provincial heritage significance and deserves protection, said Heritage Regina president J. William Brennan. At the same time, the City of Regina is considering municipal status, tentatively scheduled for discussion by the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee on June 7 at noon at City Hall.

The estimated time for a renovation option is variously listed in the Stage One facility report as anywhere from 10 to 30 months, while a new build is stated at 16 to 20 months.

Provincial Heritage Status Nomination Package

Municipal Heritage Status Nomination Package

The Saskatchewan Association of Architects has contacted Regina Public Schools and plans to follow up with the Ministry of Education about the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that was issued for Connaught. The association is concerned about “exceptionally broad and inappropriate” guidelines that discourage competition. Concerns include a clause in the RFQ that states, “the selection process will be subjective in nature…without regard to the rules and principles of competitive bidding.”

Read the RFQ

Connaught parents described their families’ experiences at an April 30 news conference.

Citizens declared the Regina Public School Board “structurally unsound” on April 30, based on the following points:

1. Failure to act on repeated recommendations regarding the upkeep of Ecole Connaught Community School.

Repairs described as “essential” in building inspection reports dating back at least until 2010 were repeatedly ignored.

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