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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday December 15, 2007 - 13 Historic Palermo schoolhouse is centre of controversy Continued from page 1 Stewart McCulloch, TTHS vice-president, said he fully expected the agreement, which is similar to ones the Town has with the Bronte and Oakville historical societies, to be approved. But concerns expressed by Burton, which resulted in a defeat of the motion, convinced McCulloch that he was seeing the ugliest side of politics at work. "In a nutshell, I spoke to Rob Burton afterwards and told him I was extremely disappointed in the display of petty politics," he said. "This had nothing to do with the interests of the taxpayers or the interest of the community, it was all about politics." Burton expressed concern with the society approaching various public sector partners like Mattamy Homes and Bot Construction Group for help with specific renovation elements, as well as raising the fact that Ward 5 councillor Jeff Knoll's wife serves as secretary on the board of TTHS. "I couldn't believe the comments," said McCulloch. "They were unfounded, had no substance and showed a complete lack of thought or knowledge of the issue." Burton did not respond to requests from The Oakville Beaver to comment on the meeting or subsequent accusations. Since June, when council gave its approval in principle to the leasing arrangement, TTHS volunteers have put in many hours of unpaid labour, said McCulloch. Along with clean-up and painting work, they have had the floors refinished and obtained period desks for the facility. All work has been done in consultation with historical experts to ensure it accurately reflects the time period. The society has also applied for a $135,000 Trillium grant for necessary retrofits that will make the Town-owned building accessible and bring it into compliance with fire code regulations. Ward 4 councillor Roger Lapworth, who voted in favour of the council motion last June, but opposed the lease agreement on Tuesday night, said he changed his mind for several reasons. Lapworth said he is concerned about leasing the schoolhouse to a group like TTHS, which is reliant on a grant to undertake necessary renovations. Lapworth also expressed concerns about the possible donation of services toward the restoration of the schoolhouse. "It's a Town-owned property and I don't think the Town should be accepting donations or equipment from developers," he said. "At the end of the day, we felt the Town should take over the facility and fix it up and lease it out like they would any other facility." Bot Construction has donated money to the Town in the past for municipal events. Last October, it was the listed on the Town of Oakville's web- site as the Gold Sponsor for the Heritage Hustle, the third major component of Oakville's 150th Anniversary celebrations. Ward 5 Councillor Jeff Knoll, who has long championed the historic features of north Oakville ­ formerly the township of Trafalgar ­ says he is also stunned and disappointed that the Town would renege on its agreement with the historical society. "This is really the last chance we have to preserve a substantial part of what was Trafalgar Township," he says. "Nothing has changed in the last six months, so I just don't get this." He adds that his wife Michelle's involvement with the society is as a volunteer, and that neither of them stand to see any gain or benefit by the restoration of the schoolhouse. "This is a philanthropic enterprise," said Knoll. "It's a broad community interest that's being furthered and there's no personal interest we would get from this." He says the committee refusal of the licensing agreement was "undeniably political." Knoll, who publicly endorsed former Mayor Ann Mulvale in the last municipal election, is clearly Burton's strongest political opponent around Oakville's council table. The TTHS plan for the schoolhouse envisioned creating a public spot in Palermo where commemorative historical events, art shows and gatherings could take place. Those events would complement daytime use of the facility by school classes taking part in "museum education" programs, as well as adults using the site to participate in various community education programs. McCulloch says the Town could only benefit by having the TTHS manage the facility on its behalf, with operating costs covered through fundraising efforts and minimal facility rental costs. He also believes the community would lose out if the Town simply operated the schoolhouse as just another facility, rather than seizing the opportunity to create a building that reflects the period of its construction and the use it was designed for. The schoolhouse, built in 1942 to replace a school building destroyed in a storm, was designed in a turn-of-the-century style. It remains architecturallysound, and contains original windows, wainscoting, cabinetry and slate blackboards. Some of those features pre-date the actual building, as they were re-used from older schoolhouses that previously stood on the same site. A final decision on the issue will be made by the full Town council on Monday night. The real gift is the time you'll spend together. all boots Tim Hortons invites you to enjoy some time with your family and friends and skate for free at your local arena. It's our way of saying thank you and happy holidays. Visit your local Oakville area Tim Hortons for a schedule of ice times and locations. sale % off T and B barcoded items only. F O R O N E W E E K O N LY FRI. DEC. 14TH sale starts 30 ends T H U R S . D E C . 2 0 T H V I S I T W W W. F R E E D M A N S H O E S . C O M NOW OPEN O A K V I L L E P L A C E · 240 Leighland Ave. Telephone: 905-842-3418 © Tim Hortons, 2007