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TUR SE | i - FE Epsom Public School students enjoy numerous activities, like this special presentation 30 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, January 3, 1990 Looking back at the.'80's ByJulia Ashton Looking back at the events of the past 10 years, the 1980's was probably a decade the Dur- ham Board of Education would rather forget. The Board successfully closed Raglan Public School -- just south of the Scugog Township border -- after enrolments steadily declined over the years. According to the March 22, 1988 edition of the Port Perry Star, enrolments dip from 94 students in the kindergarten to Grade 6 school in 1974, to just 650 studentsin 1988. Raglan P. 8S. officially closed on June 380, 1983. Students were transferred to Prince Al- bert Public School and Meadow- crest Public School in Brooklin + the followingschool year. Epsom Public School also faced closure by the Board, but after an ongoing battle between the Board and residents of the hamlet, the school remained open. Now, the old school house at Epsom Public School has been restored to a classroom to ac- commodate the growing enrol- ment at the school. But as heated as the debate was to keep Epsom Public School open, nothing could com- pare with the furor created over the site selection for S. A. Caw- ker Public School. The issue started in 1986. Both R. H. Cornish Public School and Prince Albert Public Durham Board of Education. School were feeling the effects of the population boom in Scu- gog Township. Classrooms were filled to capacity and about 26 portables took up the overflow of students, . The Durham Board of Educa- tion was faced with the reality that a new school would have to be built -- the sooner, the better. But the main stumbling block was where tobuild the school. The Board studied seven sites thoroughout Port Perry and found six of the sites to be inap- propriate because the lots were too small, lacked municipal ser- vices, or were too close to the ex- isting elementary school. But one site on the Board's list had all the makings of a school site -- ample land, service capability and distance from R. H. Cornish. That land was the Port Perry Fairgrounds and the Board of Education set out to get that land for the school. The battle that followed last- ed over 18 months and pitted neighbors against neighbors and friends against friends. Fair Board members were put in a hard situation. The Board did not own the 22-acre parcel of land, but leased it from Scugog Township. The lease was not to expire until 1996. But local councillors, seeing the urgent need for a new school, offered to sell seven acres of the fairgrounds to the. en After several heated meet- ings, the Fair Board refused to break the lease and the Board of Education began expropriation proceedings. Meanwhile, local council agreed to help the Fair Board set up a new shop on part of a 60-arce parcel of land behind the Scugog Arena. Enticing asit seemed, the Fair Board still re- fused to break the lease when members found out that coun- cil's proposal did not include the cost of a new race track -- an in- tegral part of the annual fair. e Port Perry Star received a flood of letters to the editor re- garding the issue. Ross Wallace, an 81-year resi- dent of Port Perry, penned a moving letter on the nostalgia of the Fair. "The Fairgrounds are part of the history and tradition of Port Perry and of the appeal of the town to its residents and to oth- ers who like to visit," Mr. Wal- lace wrote in his letter pub- lished March 3, 1987. "Why change the character of the town by destroying one of its traditions?" he questioned, add- ing that Markham did the same thing when it moved its fair- grounds out of the "main- stream." Mr. Wallace continued, "The rural character of Ontario dies a little more with each barn that collapses. Why not keep some of that tradition alive and let others experience some of Fo. about pioneer Christmases. But earlier in the decade, residents battled with the Durham Board of Education to keep the school open. School site a contentious issue Sam Cawker was the proudest man alive on Sept. 6, 1989. The Scugog Township resident was helping with the honors of officially opening a new elementary public school named after himself. But earlier in the decade, Scugog Township Councll, the Durham Board of Education, the Port Perry Fair Board and residents were caught in a head-to-head battle over the site of the much needed elementary school. the roots of our past by keeping the Fairgrounds as they are, where they are? Let's not de- stroy our heritage under the disguise of progress." Tempers continued to flare on both sides of the fence. Local council finally decided that con- . sultants should be brought in to see what the price tag would be if the Fairgrounds was relocat- ed. After a full investigation, the consultants estimated the cost of relocation at about $1.5 mil- lion -- and the Board of Educa- tion would have to foot the bill. The Board of Education had no choice but to abandon its ex- propriation proceeding against the Fair. "There is no doubt the Board could get the Fairground site if it pushes ahead with expropria- tion," the editorial in the July 21, 1987 edition of the Star re- ports. "The kicker is the compensa- tion order the Board could be facing to relocate the Fair- grounds to a new site near the Scugog Arena. " The editorial stated that the $1.6 million price tag would pro- vide the Fair with a "Cadillac of new facilities" but"even if the rice tag was whittled down by $500,000 or $700,000, the cost is more than the Board of Edu- cation is willing or able to spend on a chunk of land for a school." After considerable work-on the situation over the summer recess, Board of Education staff came up with a new parcel of land for consideration for the school. : The owner of a 7.85 acre site on Simcoe Street North agreed to sell the land to the Board for $344,780 -- much less than the Fairgrounds relocation would have cost. The site was zoned industri- al, but local and regional coun- cils agreed to rezoning the land for community facility use. After numerous construction delays, enough of the school construction was completed to allow the 505 kindergarten to Grade 7 students to come to school on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 1989. Constuction crews continued to work around the clock for an- other month installing a public address system, completing a daycare facility and landscap- ing. Geordie Beare remembered at sing-a-long A Memorial Tribute was paid to Geordie Beare at the 'Annual Sing A Long" at the Uxbridge High School last week. The Class of 1978 students dedicated a pic- ture of Mr. Beare in memory of all the Sing-a-long programs & shows he produced. Mrs. Ruby Beare thanked the class for pro- viding the picture and arranged it to be hung in the high school where he spent so many happy hours. Mr. Reg. Kerford accepted the portrait on behalf of the high school. We are happy to report that Rachel McMillan is enjoying bet- Raia i wg Greenbank and Area News by Helen McKean ter health. She was very ill over Christmas and missed the fami- ly Christmas in Uxbridge. Mrs. Bessie Donneral has been ill also. We wish you a speedy recovery Bessie. Marion, Les, Jermy and fami- ly visited with Mr. and Mrs. Jack Couperthwaite last Thursday. Our sincere condolances go out from this community to Mrs. Jean Mann and her family. Everyone was shocked to learn of y the death of Johnny Mann! The Don McKeans had Christmas dinner with grand- daughter Kim Taylor and her hus- band Tom in Whitby. Some fami- ly members joined them in Greenbank on Boxing Day. Also Helen's mother, Florence Archer and sister Anne Wills visited. To top off the day was "The Phone Call' from son Glenn McKean in Calgary. Congratulations to Dana Hooker and the "Port Perry Petite" ringettes for bringing home the Gold Trophy from the Markham Tournament. Mr. Armour McMillan has been invited to put on a display of his Carvings & Wood Work in the Port Perry Library. Look for this in Feburary. Complete Hi Tech Call: FIREPLACES OVER RIDGE RENOVATOR Reach Industrial Park, Unit 4, Reg. Rd. 8 Happy New Year to all, especially those new neighbours who have moved here to Green- bank. We would like to hear from you, as we need to know of your comings & goings and also guests visiting you so we can report in our Port Perry Star column. Please call 985-2944. GD 985-0715