The school district decided to close Stuart Wood Elementary School in September 2016.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
January 31, 2020 - 3:33 PM
Stuart Wood School in Kamloops won't be filled with the sounds of children again after sitting empty for almost four years.
The Children’s Circle Daycare Society submitted a request to lease the school for $24,000 for a one-year period. The Children’s Circle must relocate from their current location across from the Royal Inland Hospital by June 1 of this year, and the permanent location at 1430 9 Avenue is not available until June of 2021. The group submitted the request to use Stuart Wood as the existing classrooms, bathrooms, office space and kitchen made it a viable option for a short-term period.
Kamloops city staff met with the Children’s Circle to discuss the possibility of using the space on Dec. 16, and then received a proposal from the daycare on Christmas Eve.
At a closed meeting on Jan. 21, city council decided against leasing out the school. They will also deny any future requests for lease opportunities at the school until an agreement with the province and Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc is reached.
The school has been sitting empty since the school board vacated it and at one point the City of Kamloops pondered the idea of turning it into a museum. The City has decided that since it sits on Crown land, local First Nations bands should first give their consent to any future changes.
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