Jawcast Kicks Off School Development Plan Consultation
If you want to add your opinions about the proposed new joint use school planned for South Hill now is the time to make your opinion known as the public consultation portion of the process is now open.
Until May 6th residents are encourage to take part in the on-line consultation process.
As part of that process residents are invited to review the newly developed concept plant, take a survey and add their input to the project. The consultations may be accessed at the City of Moose Jaw website, Prairie South School Division website or the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division website.
All three websites provide helpful information on the proposed concept plan and then allows the viewer to participate in an on-line survey to add their input into the process. Additionally an email address allows residents to add additional comments or get additional information.
The email address is planning@wallaceinsights.com .
To kick off the public consultations an edition of the Notorious Jawcast featured the site chosen, a brief history and a call for residents to review the concept plan and add their input.
As part of the kickoff to the public consultations City of Moose Jaw communication manager Craig Hemingway moderated an edition of the Notorious Jawcst with Mike Sazynski from Colliers in Regina, Allan Wallace planning director with Wallace Insights and Michelle Sanson planning director with the City of Moose Jaw.
Sazynski and Wallace have been retained by the provincial Ministry of Education as well as the two school divisions to provide additional expertise to help push the project forward.
The sometimes lighthearted just shy of 15 minutes Jawcast features a brief history of the Westheath 5 and 6 development and how the proposed new joint use school became part of the once planned residential neighbourhood only.
The aim of the Jawcast was to provide more detailed information about the proposed new joint use school and invite the public to become involved in the three week public consultation period to review and add concerns and other input on the project.
From left to right (top row) Mike Sazynski from Colliers in Regina, Allan Wallace planning director with Wallace, (bottom row l - r) Michelle Sanson, planning director with the City of Moose Jaw and Craig Hemingway, communications director with the City of Moose Jaw - screen shot from the Notorious Jawcast
Sanson began her presentation discussing the original 2018 concept plan the City had developed for Westheath 5 and 6. The initial 2018 project was delayed after Council discussion about the need to spend $4.5 million to develop lots in September 2018 due to the number of available lots in the city and the demand for them.
However in 2019 the entire Westheath 5 and 6 developments faced a major change when it was announced by the school divisions the site had been chosen as the location for the proposed new joint use school for South Hill.
“There are lots of processes and steps we are working through and making that as quickly as possible. It is a big project and a big undertaking as you know this area not having services, not having any roads,” she said.
There is plenty of work to do with subdivision and zoning the proposed joint use school site.
“We don’t even have a lot to turn over at this point,” Sanson said.
Sazynski spoke about the wide ranging opportunities the new school brings.
“With this comes so much opportunity. It is no longer about the school. It is about the community,” he said.
“We all want this school. We all want to make it happen. How are we going to make it happen given the time of the announcements.?”
Sazynski said the project may appear to be developing slowly but there are are series of right steps that need to be taken to make the project work as it should and in the end it will be an exciting project.
It needs to be mentioned there have been some fears expressed at the division level recently with the announcement the time table for the construction to be completed may have been pushed back a second time.
The proposed new Westheath subdivision showing the new joint use school in the neighbourhood plan - source City of Moose Jaw
Wallace stated that the concept plan the public is being asked to provide input to, despite being the 12th or 13th version, is not set in stone and public input could cause change to the final version presented to City of Moose Jaw Council for final approval.
“We have landed on what is the preferred concept and it is a lot of hard work,” he said. “The reason why this one is taking so long is we are working within an existing neighbourhood and that is challenging to do.”
Wallace said some of the challenges were the traffic impacts that are associated with the project.
Those challenges ended up adding bus corrals, off street layback car drop off lanes for students and plenty of staff and visitor parking.
Adding a green space to accentuate the neighbourhood figured greatly in the plans. To accomplish the front of the proposed school is to face south with the green space between the school and the existing neighbourhood homes.
“They are looking at a park and not directly at a school,” Wallace said, adding “traffic is concentrated to the south away from residences.”
Residents are asked to participate in the review survey as a means to add to the proposed development in key areas - address changes that improve safety, improve functionality and mitigate some of the traffic concerns.
Saznyski said safety is paramount in the planning.
The number one priority was “none more apparent than student safety and student safety (concerns) are paramount,” he said.
The original 2018 Westheath 5 and Westheath 6 concept plan - SOURCE City of Moose Jaw
As well as having the opportunity to participate in the on-line consultation Westheath residents that may not have children attending the school have been sent a letter from the City to allow them to directly participate in the concept plan review.
Following reviewing input from the public and incorporating any additional concerns the concept plan will be presented to Council for final approval.