Calgary residents pitch plan to revitalize unused school spaces

  • 2013-10-31
Two former government officials in Calgary have put together a plan to make use of a number of empty schools in the city.

Tom Olsen and Ron Glen’s proposal involves assessing the old buildings to decide if they can be re-purposed. If this isn’t feasible, they would be demolished to make space for something new.

It is thought that the structures could be redeveloped as independent living spaces for seniors, day-care centres, classroom spaces for children, medical clinics, and even coffee shops or other light retail ventures.

The idea has received the support of a number of seniors groups and local businesses. The pair are also meeting with community groups and other interested parties to not only gauge interest but to also find out what sort of developments would be a good fit for each individual area.

If there is enough interest and support from the local residents, the pair will pitch their project plans to the Edmonton school board.

A revitalization project such as this can bring great economic benefits for the surrounding areas. Local Print companies, for example, may be asked to produce Signs and other printed materials for the new residential, educational, and retail spaces.

While a representative of the school board praised the plan, he noted that it may not be feasible straight away. There has been an increase in the number of students in Calgary in the past few years, which has resulted in fewer schools closing.

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